New to Fairy Tail
by BleachedSamurai
Summary: A new member has joined Fairy Tail and they are holding on to a horrible past that brushes off of everyone in the guild, including Jet. She's difficult to say the least. Who is she and what sort of past is she harboring? GaLu is hinted but not enough screen time. COMPLETED :) DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL.
1. The Newcomer

Hey guys, this one came out on a whim and just had to share it. There may be some OOC-ness but hopefully it's not too out of character for you. The other character is someone I created and have a picture I drew of them as the cover. You can see a full description of my character on my wordpress blog, the link is on my profile. Let me know what you think and sorry if it's too lengthy. R&R, please.

* * *

It's just as normal as any other day in the guild hall. The conversations were loud, quiet a few were already in brawls this early in the morning. One of those brawls contained the ice-mage who is practically in his navy boxers hammering it out with the fire dragon slayer. The sight of the two is comical considering the amount of flesh because oddly enough, Natsu is only in his puffy pants and white scarf still wrapped his neck. He tossed his vest to the side at some point, but Lucy doesn't know when he did or where it landed for that matter.

She watched the two fight sitting at the bar with a strawberry shake in hand and an apparent annoyed expression accompanying her brown eyes. Who wouldn't be annoyed at the loud mouths? Usually, Gajeel would jump in on the fight with them but obviously the guy is in no mood to spar with them since he sat adjacent to her with his beer and pile of scrap metal snacks. Its unusual for him to sit near her to begin with but she didn't mind it. He at least gave her some company while Mira tended to other customers needs.

Lucy made a quick glance at the iron dragon slayer then spoke for the first time since he joined her at the bar. "When are you going to jump in? You usually like to fight."

"Yeah, usually, but I'm in no mood for those two morons."

This confused Lucy, because he's never in bad moods where he could take out his frustrations in brawls like Gray and Natsu's. She could tell just from his tone that he gave off that there was something in particular bothering him and for some reason, Lucy wanted to know what that is. She considered him a friend for a while so she wanted to try and figure out what it is that is bothering and help him through it.

"Since when are you not in mood to fight? Is something bothering you?"

"Nothing you should worry about, blondie." He retorted roughly then a jugged what was left of his now stale beer.

A little hurt from him brushing off her concern for the dragon slayer, Lucy was about to snap back when Mira finally came back to the bar with a silver tray in front of her stomach.

"Oh don't worry about him, Luce. He's been that way since a new lady member joined our guild today."

This caught Lucy's interest. She didn't know that someone new joined their guild but the fact that Gajeel has been acting oddly. Come to think of it, Lucy noticed he was acting strangely when he suddenly decided to join her at the bar. Including the fact that he isn't anywhere near her best friend, Levy and Team Shadowgear. Did this new girl catch his attention or something? Then something sparked in her brain that put those few facts together.

"Oh, really. Did this new girl catch your eye, Gajeel?" Lucy hinted as she elbowed him gently in the ribs in a friendly manner. Lucy noticed that Mira backed up a little bit towards the crowd which made her second guess that assumption. She's a little nervous, but didn't dare show it.

Gajeel blushes but just as he does, he quickly regains composure to retort back and quiet loudly, too. "What? Are you out of your fucking mind? Hell no!"

Lucy stifles a chuckle because it was a little obvious from the tinge of pink that returned to his cheeks that she hit a nerve. She would love to push his buttons even further, but decided against it. He's already in a mood and she didn't want to add more fire to the flames. Instead, she figured she ease him out of his mood with a small smile in which he gave her a grunt in return. Typical.

"Oh lighten up, I was only messing around. Who is this new girl you're talking about, Mira?" Lucy asked the bar-maid.

Mira only smiled, which made Lucy think that she didn't know who it was that joined. "Um, to be honest, I really don't know their name." Mira replied nervously with a hand rubbing her hair in the same fashion. Lucy glared at her in surprise, Gajeel just seemed annoyed.

"Seriously?" they both asked the barmaid simultaneously.

"Sorry guys, I would have told you if I actually knew. I mean, I welcomed her to the guild in all and asked of her name, but she basically brushed me off. I guess you can say she is more interested in reading then getting to know her new family." Mira explained with a little hint of sadness behind that cheery tone.

"Well, that's rude. Where exactly is she in this chaos?" Lucy asked as she tried to look for the new comer. Natsu and Gray are still going at it which should have been broken up a while ago but no one didn't seem to care.

"She's over there. Obviously she had the right of mind to keep a good distance away from those two battling the way they are." Mira replied as she pointed to a section of the guild hall where it was a little quieter.

Lucy followed her finger in the direction she pointed and saw the new girl reading a large book. The book is at a good angle where she could see her features unlike how Levy reads. The girl looked a little older then she is, maybe even close to Gajeel's age with dark green hair in a short, rebellious style. A large hunk of her bangs hung over half of her face, which only raised the question of how she could read with that much hair in the way. Her skin is a medium ivory tone and looked flawless from a far. If she could, Lucy would love to get closer to catch a glimpse of her eyes that are in a way hidden from her bright lavender glasses that sat just below the bridge of her nose. She looks smart, but there is certainly something odd about her that Lucy felt the same way as Gajeel is.

Lucy understands now why he seems bothered. Just from her first impression of the girl made her think that she could care less of the people around her and maybe not even care of what they thought of her. She seemed indifferent and cold, but Lucy wouldn't want to hold onto to that first impression. She's intrigued of the girls appearance and the item of clothing she wore. I mean, it's not everyday you see a girl wear a very settled color scheme of mostly earth tone greens and browns. Her top is sleeveless where most is a deep sage green and the little bit of what seemed to be sawgrass with beige handless gloves. She is unusual to say the least, but there is always a better side of someone if you took the time to know them well.

Lucy slowly stood away from the bar to try and spark a conversation with her until she noticed Levy along with Jet and Droy approach her. She held back to watch and took notice of Gajeel watching intently, maybe even listening to the conversation they're having.

* * *

The girl, from this good of a distance, could tell that they were a few people watching her which she didn't seem to mind. Of course, she could care less of what they were thinking, she just wanted some peace and quiet to read the latest mystery novel. Of course, she realized quickly that it is never quiet in this place. Despite her interest in reading, she observed her surroundings to watch intently of the sparing match at the front of the guild hall. She is annoyed by it, but nonetheless dealt with it. Hell, she looked out among the crowd to see if there was anyone she would be willing to spar with. She is interested to know what the other guild member's magic are, but her way of finding out is different from others.

She huffed a loud sigh from her lungs then continued to read when several shadows stood before her. Showing little interest in the people in front of her, she gave them a small glance just to let them know that she noticed their presence and tried to retain her attention to the book in front of her. Of course, one of them had to interrupt her which she didn't care for in the least.

"Hi, there. I just found out that you're new to the guild. I hope you don't mind if we give you a warm welcome to Fairy Tail."

The girl is annoyed but figured she at least exchange a few words before she returned to her book. It is an interesting novel and she's getting to a good part right now, so she had to chase them off. "I guess I should say thank you for the welcoming but right now I'm more interested in reading my newest novel." She said flatly in a silky, modest tone.

"I've noticed you got the newest mystery novel and I would have to say that I am quiet interested of what's about. I love to read as well, but I tend to drift to romance novels." Just as Levy was about to say more about books in general, the girl quickly interrupted and sounded quiet irritated that she was still talking.

"Listen, blueberry-patch. That wasn't an invitation to strike up a conversation with me and quiet honestly, I'm not in the mood to be around anyone right now. If you want to talk about books or whatever else you want, go talk to somebody else."

Levy was a little hurt from the girl barking like that but it also caused a little hatred towards her for being rude. It was just a friendly gesture of welcoming her to the guild, so why would she be bent out of shape with someone asking her questions.

"Look, lady. She was just being nice since you are basically in a corner like some kid. You didn't have to be rude like that." Jet quickly butted at the sight of his friend being talked like that.

"I have every right to be rude when I don't want to be bothered by anyone. You could at least respect that wish instead of continuing to stand there before me with your fists raised, carrot-top."

Jet instantly dropped his fists when she pointed that out, but he is still upset that this mysterious girl would talk to a fellow guild member like that. "What is your problem anyway? If you weren't a chick, I would be beating you up right about now." At that moment, Jet along with Levy and Droy say a flash of excitement in her eyes. They weren't sure what it meant, but something is about to happen that no one in the guild hall would have expected.

Natu and Gray's brawl stopped to ear in on their conversation along with everybody else to hear what the new girl will say to Jet's statement. A forced smile appeared then she gives Jet a deadly glare that sent shivers down his spine. "Should I take that as an open invitation to kick your ass to the ground, you punk?" she replies viciously as she stood. When she did, she revealed an interesting accessory that had everyone wondering what they were used for. Behind her is a set of metal plates that swooped down to the back of her knees, in a fan like tail. These metal plates are securely stamped and nailed to her lavender leather belt that has a odd emerald emblem implanted in the middle, it is a very interesting accessory.

Jet couldn't help but feel nervous and sweat drop from the way she said those words, maybe more specifically the stance she took. Her stance is incredibly intimidating and he is worried to take up a challenge against this girl when he doesn't know a thing about her magic. He stammered to say something but he couldn't produce any words in his defense. Needless to say, he's speechless.

"How about this, boy? You spare with me despite the gender difference. I would love to kick your ass right about now just like you would me."

"Wait, right now?" Jet stammered quickly.

"Yes, right now, you idiot! Now get outside, before I drag your ass out there!"

Everyone in the guild is shocked that Jet just picked a fight with someone, a girl to be exact. She may be in the right to be angry when she didn't want to be disturbed but she took it the extreme and kind of got off on the wrong foot with the guy. A good swift kick in the ass would do her some good to respect others, but since no one in the guild knows what kind of magic she has they don't know what could happen if they butted in. They all watched in awe as the mysterious woman walked out of the guild hall with Jet closely behind sweating bullets. Just as they exited the guild, people started to murmur.

"My moneys on the newbie!" Macao suddenly blurted with a mug in his hand.

"Are you serious? You're betting on the new girl?" Droy up roared.

"Why should I not? She seems strong, don't you think?"

"I don't know why you're betting to begin with, Macao? It's quiet obvious whose going to win and it's going to be Jet."

"Eh, I don't know. We don't know what kind of magic this girl has and honestly, I wouldn't give her the benefit of a doubt, if I were you."

"I still think Jet has a good chance at winning."

"Well, instead of talking about it let's go see for ourselves?" Natsu chimed happily.

"I'm with Natsu. I want to see this for myself. My money's on the newbie!" Gray agreed then rushed out of the guild with Natsu in tow. The others soon followed with a loud chatter while Lucy, Mira and Gajeel trailed slightly behind.

"I get the feeling that this one is different from the other brawls that happened in the past. It seems to me that this girl is wanting to prove her worth in my opinion." Lucy voiced as she trudged alongside Gajeel while Mira happily went ahead of them with a pad of paper and pen in hand. Obviously she wanted to take notes of the fight or keep track of bets, they couldn't tell which. But there's always a motive.

"Nah, I don't think she's trying to prove anything." Gajeel suddenly replies after a while.

"What makes you think that?"

"Honestly? There's something about her that rubs me the wrong way and I can't put my finger on it. She doesn't look the type to start a fight on a whim to prove anything, looks like she's fighting just for the joy of it."

"I think that is a bit of a stretch, but I would have to agree with you on one thing. She does show off as, how should I put it?" Lucy thought for a moment and was about to continue her thought when Gajeel interrupted.

"It doesn't matter. Let's see who gets squashed into a pancake first. Gihi." Gajeel replied with his signature grin then he picked up his pace to watch the fight unfold, his bad mood suddenly gone.

Lucy watched him for only a moment with a smile then quickened her pace to catch up.

* * *

Jet and the girl stood in the middle of the park with their eyes glaring in determination at their opponent. The girl could tell as they stood there that the entire guild is gathering around them to watch the two fight, but she didn't want their cheers and hollers to cloud her mind. She actually wished that they just stayed inside the guild so she could concentrate but she would have to admit that she doesn't mind the eager eyes watching on. She doesn't like having an audience when she spars to begin with but she let it slide, just this once. When the park got to the point where it could hold no more on lookers, she gives Jet a glare that he couldn't read.

"Are you ready, boy?"

"Will you stop calling that? I have a name you know!"

"I don't care what your name is. Before we even start, I have a few ground rules. The first one is no magic."

"Huh?"

"It will level out the playing field. I don't want to reveal my magic in a simple brawl, plus I'm quiet skilled in other areas of combat. So therefore, no magic. Break that rule, there will be sever consequences. Secondly, no cheap shots, it's a tactic I find insulting. Break that one, you will be equally punished. Thirdly and most importantly, no holding back. Give this fight your all and without the use of your magic. Are we agreed?"

Jet is confused on the rules but he did understand where she was coming from. They were good rules to go by. "Agreed. First, can I, get your name?"

This caught her of guard. No one really asked her of what her name was except for the bar-maid that welcomed her to the guild. She remembers her and would be making it up to her for being rude to her earlier. She shook the question off then refused to give him the answer he wanted. "Let's skip the formalities till afterwards. Now, as your challenger, you get the first strike. Remember, don't hold back, boy."

"Why the hell are you giving me the first shot? Shouldn't it be you to land the first punch?"

"As a woman, it would be a more gentlemen like approach to have the girl land the first hit, but in my book, it's the other way around. The challenger goes first before the opponent. Now attack me before I do, you dumbass."

* * *

Before the fight officially started, Gajeel and Lucy finally made it to the park where the fight was taking place but there was nowhere for them to stand. "Oh, you got to be kidding me! How the hell can we watch with all these people in the way?" Lucy blurted out of frustration.

Gajeel took a moment to look to see if there were any spots in the crowd to break through, but there was none much to his dismay. He looked away from the crowd to the tree and got an idea. He grinned mischievously then looked over at Lucy.

"Oi, bunny girl, you want a good seat?"

Confused, Lucy looked up at him with wonder but her expression changed when she caught that grin. "Oh god, what do you have in mind?"

He held that grin as he grabbed Lucy by the waist and hoisted her off the grounded where she managed a squeak in protest. "Gajeel! What the hell are you doing? Put me down!"

"Getting the best seats in the house, Bunny Girl." With that Gajeel leapt into the tree with Lucy in arm. She managed a yelp when he jumped into the tree then her protests were muffled from the thick leaves blocking her outraged expression. It was only a minute until Gejeel settled Lucy on a thick branch then planted himself next to her, his grin still on his face. It took Lucy a moment to gather her surroundings then turned her attention to the man beside her. She punched him in the shoulder that almost knocked both of them out of the tree but they managed to hold their balance.

"Warn me before you do something like that, you jerk."

"Oh shut up. You got what you wanted, right?"

Lucy momentarily looked down to see Jet and the girl in view, nothing blocking her view and was at an excellent angle. She smiled in appreciation then gave Gajeel a side glance, "Yeah, it's a perfect spot. Thanks."

Gajeel didn't reply back, he just looked ahead with a little twinge pink on his cheeks then watched as the fight begun to unfold.

* * *

Down below, Jet evaluated his opponent for a brief moment then decided to attack. He at first started out with a run to come at her for a frontal attack but his pace quickly changed to fly straightforward. He was Jet for a reason, he jetted across the grass at a speed that he believes the mysterious girl would not be able to react and end this fight quickly. However, the girl expected this somewhat. She was a little off guard that he resulted to such a tactic and was about to expect the full force of his hit, but it wouldn't be much fun though. Within a blink of an eye, Jet came close to landing a single punch to her face when she swiftly, but effortlessly dodged the attack.

Jet is shocked that she was able to dodge him but his shock is quickly replaced by pain when the girl swept under him and elbowed under his collarbone. It hurt to say the least, but just as he fell back he regained his footing and charged again with no luck. She dodged his arm again then sent him backwards from a massive kick to the stomach. His body slid across the grass for a few feet then jumped back up to deliver a kick himself but she swiftly dodged and counterattacked with a kick herself. This time, Jet was able to block and attempted to deliver a punch but with no success. She merely dodged his arm for the third time then swiftly twisted herself to land a kick on his chin with her left heel.

He stumbled of course, be regained his footing to throw numerous punches at her. All efforts were futile, and he had to wonder how in the world could she be so fast. He hasn't fought at this level and quiet honestly, his strategy has been thrown out the window. She's good, maybe too good if she continuously dodged his punches like it was nothing. She has shown that she is very flexible to the point of being labeled an acrobat. Her agility is always on cue when she dogged punch after punch and swift counters with her kicks. There is no doubt in Jet's mind that this girl is excellent in hands on combat and he likes it.

From the sidelines, he could hear someone yell, "Get her Jet!" and maybe a few cheering for the unnamed female. After several minutes, more on lookers started cheering and routing when things started to get real good. Jet wasn't going to use his magic since he agreed on her terms, but he knew what other actions to take to win this. He had some tricks up his sleeves and he has high hopes that he will take her down. He made a swing at her face, but she quickly dodges it but got a surprise when his knee drove into her abdomen. She let out a gasp but didn't let the hit effect her, she resumed her fight with Jet and was instantly taken aback when his fist collided into her face. Needless to say, not the best move on his part. She is now livid. No one dares to hit her in the face. The hit brought some unwanted memories back from when she was a child and wasn't sure if she could shake them off. The memories are still fresh to her despite them being from twelve years ago and those memories made her angry. 'Get out of my head,' she yelled at those memories then swung viciously at Jet's right jaw.

Her fist collided into his jaw where she then momentarily swept a kick into his ribs, almost causing them to break but she held that back. She wasn't supposed to, but she knew that it would only cause unwanted hatred towards her and that's not exactly something she needs. Jet recovers from her kick and made an attempt to hit in the face again but she dodged it and returned the favor. He let that punch hit him because after the kick to the ribs, he felt that there was something that triggered her to get vicious and he does not want that to happen again. He deserved it to say the least, but he wasn't going to take full punishment from her wrath.

Then Jet realized that this fight had gone on longer then he wanted. He was getting tired and made the last few moves he had. He swung to punch her then tried to swing to knock her off balance but both of those attempts were avoided and she was able to grab his arm. He didn't realize it at first, but he was quickly swung off his feet, over her head and flung to the ground with a grunt with her sitting on top of him. She made a cry as she drew a hand back and brought it down, only to avoid his face. Her fist collided onto the earth behind him and quiet frankly he didn't understand it. It would have been her finishing blow, so he had to wonder why she decided not to finish him off.

He slowly turned his gaze onto hers and that's when he noticed her eyes. They are a brilliant golden hazel with a dark outline along the edge of the iris. He then took notice of they tiny yet slit pupils in her eyes, that's when it hit him that there is something very different about her then the rest of the girls in the guild but he couldn't tell what. His thoughts were interrupted when the girl above him spoke in a very kind and wholesome manner. He didn't think she had a voice like that and it was a very intoxicating voice that he couldn't get enough of.

"You have proven yourself to be a worthy opponent to spar with."

"Worthy to spare with? What the hell are you talking about, lady?"

Jet watched as she drew her hand away from the ground and dusted off dirt from her knuckles. She didn't look at him when she pulled back but remained to sit on him which only gave the on lookers an opportunity to glare at them in awe of what is happening before them.

"I'm not like any other person here, I'm different. I could say that I was testing waters to see who would be willing to fight me without using magic and you're actually the first one that didn't give me the benefit of a doubt and accepted a challenge without knowing what magic I possess. In other words, I believe we would be good friends, if you give me a chance."

"Well, you sure do have a funny way of approaching people about it. You could just ask."

"Then where is the fun in that."

She immediately got up from his lap and straightened up her steal guards from behind her and the lavender belt that held them. She gives him a sweet smile then offers a hand to him but he didn't take right away. "Tell me, what is your name?" the girl asked finally.

It took him a minute to realize what was happening but quickly responded before taking her hand. "The name's Jet. What's yours cutie?"

She blushed but only briefly then gave him a cute smile. "The name's Hazel, Hazel Witchbane. It's a pleasure to meet you properly, Jet."

* * *

So, what do you think? I decided to add more chapters to this so you can get a good concept of her background and history, which is not a nice one. After that I'm planning on writing a chapter story containing her and Team Natsu, but give me a shout out if you would like to see this. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review. Chow :)


	2. Two Weeks Later

I decided to take this story a little further and reveal a little bit of Hazel's past. More of it will come into full swing when I start working on the follow-up story to this. So for the time being, here is chapter two for you. Enjoy! :)

* * *

_The evening was young. The sun begun to drift towards the horizon, showing a splendor of colors of orange, fuchsia, violet and deep blue as a twinge of stars begun to show in the sky behind a young Hazel. Her golden green eyes scanned the horizon with interest as the sun dipped further and further, almost leaving her in darkness. She didn't mind it though. She loves the evening especially at this time when the stars are beginning to come out. Hazel turns her innocent eyes to the sky directly above her to see a few stars shining brightly and was lost in thought for only a moment. Her thoughts were disturbed so abruptly from a rough, hard object hitting the crown of her skull with a thunk._

_Hazel yelps from the sheering pain on top of her head and was about to turn to see what hit her when another object hit her in the shoulder. It hurt just as much as the hit to her head, but nothing compared when more started hitting her from behind. She made a startled cry as she turns to face her attackers to only get struck by a large rock in the forehead. The impact cut her flesh that resulted in a small trickle of blood running down her nose._

"_Stop it!" Hazel screams when she heard joyful laughter erupted in her eardrums._

"_Shut up, Witchbane Freak!" a young boys voice rings as he tossed a rock at her wrist and hit its mark._

"_Ow, leave me alone!" she screams as she tries to run but gets knocked backwards and onto the hard ground. Her elbows scrap the ground but despite the pain, Hazel quickly got back on her feet to attempt another escape. Just as she stood, she is shoved back to the dirt road with a huff._

"_Where do you think you're going, freak? We're not done yet." Another boy replies then roughly kicks the side of her stomach._

_She grunts and wheezes from the kick but just as one kick came and gone, more gut wrenching kicks landed on her thighs and legs, a few strayed to her stomach. Some of the boys stomped on her arms and hands, trying to enable the fallen Hazel from moving. Large welts and bruises are showing on her arms and legs and cuts from the rocks begun to sting from the coolness of night now settling over her. Hazel couldn't help but cry. The pain is unbearable as the local boys continued to kick at her, but the pain in her heart is nothing. She is miles from home so her mother and father won't be able to come help her nor will any other soul that is around. No one liked her and she knew that. She knew that everybody feared her because of the family name but also from the type of magic she has. Hazel can't help herself when she is still young and unable to control it. But why would it result to this? Why would these boys result to beating her so mercifully? Do they hate her that much? Or do they just want to see her die?_

_Hazel lets out a sad moan as her body begun to get heavily bruised and felt that no one was going to help her. She couldn't move, well she didn't want to because Hazel knew they would just knock her back down to the ground. When she thought all hope was lost, a bone chilling and threatening roar echoed along the road. The boys stopped kicking at Hazel to see what had made that horrifying sound, only to get a horrible surprise that a large creature towered over them like a black cloud. They screamed, they cried and ran like hell away from the fallen Hazel to their parents, but mostly from the creature that stood behind her._

_Despite her injuries, Hazel had enough strength to roll on her stomach and look to see what it was that just saved her from her possible death._

_Her breathe hitched and eyes widened at the sight in front of her. She couldn't wrap her mind around the concept of the creature in front of her but Hazel knew that she wasn't afraid. She wasn't afraid that the creature was a magnificent dark green dragon with its wings still spread with such a strong and comforting presence. It's eyes glowed a brilliant gold as they looked down at a beaten Hazel who had not one single ounce of fear in her tiny body. Needless to say they were impressed but felt that the child was just too weak to realize that it was hungry and they could very well swallow her whole. But in a condition like this, the dragon wouldn't put more harm on her._

"_Are you alright child?" the dragon asked her in a smooth, grainy tone that calmed Hazel. She didn't know why it calmed her but it did._

"_I wish I could say yes, but those boys beat me real bad and_" she sobbed loudly when Hazel thought of what her father would say, yet alone her loving mother._

"_No need to say more. I will take you back to your parents to heal your wounds and nothing further. After tonight, you will forget that I even exist."_

_Hazel continued to cry as the dragon gently lifted her feet off the the ground then placed her on their back. After the young girl was settled snuggly at the base of her neck and gently gripping her side, the dragon flew in the night sky where Hazel's fate will soon be sealed._

"Oi! Hazel!" a voice suddenly broke her train of thought. She quickly looks up from her book that she obviously spaced out on and saw Natsu jump onto her table, knocking over her juice. She made a startled cry as she dropped her book to the table and let the purple liquid of Grape juice splash on her shirt.

She couldn't register what happened at first because she was still a little shaken up from that memory. When was the last time she spaced out like that? That's when she remembered what day it was and instantly became aggressive. "What the hell, Natsu? You can't just come barging up to people like that. You are damn lucky that I am not kicking your ass right now!"

"Hey, flame-brain. Are you asking for a death wish? Apologize to her, man! You know how she gets." Gray suddenly yelled at him when he approached Hazel's table with teeth baring.

"What should I apologize for? I didn't do anything wrong."

"You nearly ruined her book from springing onto the table like that, you dumbass!"

"She spaced out, how else was I suppose to get her attention?"

"There are other ways to get someone's attention instead of being a spring-loaded jackass!"

"Who are you calling a jackass, popsicle-boy!"

Natsu and Gray's yelling begun to get louder much to Hazel's liking, of course, there are always surprises here. Hazel has learned from the past two weeks in the guild that its never the same in here and always unpredictable. She has come to know faces which of course she had to put names with the faces and she's actually pretty good in remembering. Two weeks, that's all it took for her to realize that she is not going to get a lot of peace and quiet around here. Hazel would have left the guild by now because of the noise, but she actually warmed up to a couple of people here. A couple meaning three and one of them is her sparring buddy and voice of reason, Jet. She smiled in her head at the thought of him but her head soon begun to ache from the constant yelling which at some point, she doesn't know when, they started punching and kicking.

She lets out a hard sigh from her lungs then shifts her gaze to the two brawling idiots. "If you two are going to brawl like this, can you please take it somewhere else. You're giving me a headache." Hazel complained.

She watched as the two continued to brawl, not even hearing her complain that they were causing the headache. Of course when it picked up, she let out an unsatisfactory groan and was about to give up hope when she heard both of them squeal in protest. She looks up from staring at the wood grain to spot Gajeel grasping the two at the collars. Her heart flutters when she gasped silently under her breath at him for finally stepping in. She has a great deal of respect towards the Iron Slayer and that respect towards him gives Hazel a certain peace in her mind. She doesn't understand it yet, but she knew that if she was willing to explore this feeling, they could be really good friends. Hazel gives him an unseen smile then glances at the book that remained opened.

The pages were not damaged from her grape juice which she is more then happy about because it is one of her favorite novels. Once she knew that her book was safe from stains, Hazel looks away to see what is happening around her. She's glad she did because Gajeel sent Natsu barreling in her direction from a massive punch to his face. She squeals from the sight and completely avoids the hurled body by jumping onto the bench and flinging herself to the left, almost falling off. Once she realized that she was out of harms way and Natsu face planted on her book, she gave Gajeel a glare that made him cower slightly.

"You couldn't have sent him flying in different direction other then my own, can you?"

"Yeah, sorry about that, had to teach him a lesson of some sort."

"Lesson met, I see. Oi, Salamander, get up! You're wrinkling the pages!" Hazel growls then pulls his head off her book.

Once his face was away from the printed pages, he glanced over his shoulder at her and gave a quick apology before he climbed over the table to the other side. He calmed down, but now he is fascinated at what Hazel was reading.

"Sorry, Hazel, what are you reading anyway? Is it any good?"

"It is, but I don't think it's something you will be interested in reading since it's a mystery novel."

"A mystery novel, huh? What's it called?" Natsu asked with his innocent eyes wide in interest, at least he is getting her to talk other then her usual small talk which is on the norm.

"You really want to know? It's a book called, _None of Your Business_."

"Hey!"

She hears both Gray and Gajeel snicker from her response but regained their composer when Natsu glared daggers at them. Hazel chuckled softly to herself then retained her cold demeanor.

"But I'm sure that's not what you came here for. What is it that you want, Natsu?" Hazel asked roughly with boredom apparent in her tone and adjusted her glasses back to the bridge of her nose.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"So ask it."

"Lucy, Gray and I are taking a mission and we we're wondering if you would join us?"

Silence. Hazel glared at him for a moment then blinked, twice. They wanted _her_ to join a mission with them? Why? She is greatly confused of why they wanted her to join when they clearly had Erza as part of Team Natsu. Just as she opened her mouth to retort back, Natsu handed her the job description. She looked over it fairly quickly: take out a couple of dark mages that have been terrorizing a local shop. The reward was pretty steep, as in 711,000 jewels, steep. What kind of reward is that? She's tempted to take the job but for some reason, the mission seemed odd to her. Hazel could tell that whoever asked for this is leaving something out and quiet frankly, she doesn't want to deal with.

"We would have asked Erza, but she's away on a mission and won't be back in a few days. Wendy can't because she's already heading out on a mission with Charle and Romeo tomorrow. So, who better to ask then the new girl." Natsu explained with his signature grin on his face.

She huffs loudly then gave him a response that erased his grin. "Not interested." Momentarily, she stood from the bench and grabbed her book to leave the guild and look for a solo job.

"Oh come on, why not? You have been on what seems like five solo jobs in two weeks. So why not team up with us?"

"Because that is what I prefer. Besides, with your destructive streak we would be walking away with less then what we anticipated."

"I can see why she would be worried about that. You do have a tendency to leave a mess behind you after a mission." Gajeel replied as he eyed Natsu.

"Shut up, metal-head, besides we need one more female on the team."

"Then why don't you ask your girlfriend, Lisanna?" Hazel asked as she turned to glare at him.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Natsu blushed a shade close to Era's.

"She's already heading out on a mission with Elfman and Evergreen. So she can't." Gray butted, silently snickering at Natsu from his reaction about Lisanna.

"Then what about Juvia? I'm pretty sure that she would love to join you, Gray."

Gray said nothing but blush brightly. He looked away from Hazel to avoid eye contact with her which this is a clear sign to Hazel that he did ask but advised against it. Hazel was confused at first, but there was no hiding that Gray has feelings towards Juvia and didn't want those feelings to be exposed to anyone, at least not yet. She smiled softly at him in response.

"I see. Well, my answer is still no. You just have to find someone else. Thanks for offering though." Hazel said quickly then rushed out of the guild.

On her way out, she saw Lucy step in and made an attempt to say "Hi," but Hazel brushed past her with an apologetic glare then went out the door. Lucy watched Hazel disappear from her sight then turned to the boys that gave her confused glares. Natsu looked hurt, almost to the point of crying it seemed. Gray just seemed fine but slightly offended. Gajeel, well, his same stotic expression, but he was thinking. He could tell that there was something more to it then not being interested. He glanced at Lucy and gave her a, particular glare that Gray and Natsu didn't see. Lucy only nodded in agreement then turned her eyes to the guild hall doors. She has this determined look on her face and believes she knows how to convince Hazel to taking the job with them.

* * *

Hazel silently walked along the streets of Magnolia in deep thought. Her mind wasn't on the job request that Natsu asked for her to come with, but on what happened before that. She spaced out while she read and that never happens to her. Why now? She remembers that night still very vividly as if it happened yesterday. She got to meet a dragon and Hazel thought it was supposed to be fate bringing the dragon to her so she could control her magic. But when she woke the next morning heavily bandaged and was able to move, the dragon was nowhere to be found. She didn't get to thank the dragon properly after what they did for her and Hazel wanted to find the dragon, but her father forbid her to do so. Oh, her father. The thought of that man made her cringe, no shiver in fury.

'Of all times, why did I have to think about him?' Hazel thought to herself with a slight growl and tried to think of something else that could take her mind off of her father. She tried to think about sparring with Jet but she was in no mood or shape to fight. Her thoughts kept running back to her father and she wished she could get rid of them. But Hazel then remembered what day it was and sighs heavily. 'Just five more days. I can't believe it has been this long.' Hazel thought again then turned her mind to her mother. She couldn't remember the last time she thought of her, months, years. It has to be years.

Hazel's thoughts were disturbed when she heard a young girl calling to her mother and she sounded so cheerful and upbeat. "Mommy, mommy, look!"

Hazel turned her eyes to the cute young girl with a colorful flower lei in her hands and is presenting it to her gorgeous mother. She kind of had to gasp at her features because the mother reminded Hazel of her own. Long wavy strawberry blonde hair with hazel eyes and creamy ivory skin. She has a bright smile on her face as she looked down at her daughter.

"That is absolutely beautiful, Aria."

"I made it just for you in my arts and craft class, mommy! I was real good today at practice too and my instructor thinks I'm ready for his advance class."

Obviously the little girl is talking about dance classes because she is wearing dancing shoes. Her mother gave her an even brighter smile then stooped low to her daughter's level and placed her hands on Aria's shoulders. "I am so proud of you, Aria. For being such a good girl for the past few weeks how about we get some ice cream. Just don't tell your daddy that I'm spoiling your supper." The mother replied with a smile.

"YEAH! Ice cream, ice cream! Let's go, mommy!" the little girl replied happily then took her mother's hand and went running down the street.

"Slow down, honey!" the mother replied quickly then disappeared around a corner.

Hazel couldn't help but smile sweetly and the mother and daughter interacting so happily together. It was such a sweet scene to her but it brought back awful memories. She has a lump stuck in her throat from holding back a sob and her bottom lip of her smile quivered uncontrollably. She wanted to cry. That interaction not only brought back memories but it reminded Hazel that she doesn't have a mother anymore and that thought nearly made her start crying. Before a single tear could roll down her face, someone came jumping out of nowhere with a loud booming voice erupting her eardrums.

She makes a loud, startled cry and jumps backwards from being scared like that. It took her a good minute to realize that it was Gajeel that stood beside her with his signature grin on his face and is glaring at her. Hazel seethed from his rude appearance and walloped him a good one on the top of his head.

"WHAT THE HELL! DON'T SNEAK UP ME LIKE THAT _EVER_ AGAIN! JERK!" Hazel yelled as she eyed a cowering Gajeel with his hands on his head, hissing loudly from the searing pain.

Then she heard someone laughing, uncontrollably. She looks over her shoulder and spotted Lucy doubling over from the sight of Hazel's comical reaction. Hazel pouts and growls in her throat from being laughed at like that, but that was when she realized that Gajeel was laughing, too. She scowls him and shot a dangerous glare in Lucy's direction.

"I am so sorry, Hazel," Lucy stared as she tried to stop her laughing. "We weren't expecting you to react so strongly like that." Lucy added still trying to contain her laugh.

"You seem _so_ _sincere_." Hazel grumbled then crossed her arms in front of her with a pout.

"You should've seen your face, Haze. Fucking priceless." Gajeel replies as he stood, laughing still as well.

"You should have seen your face when I clubbed you, you damn goat." Then Hazel remembered something when she finally regained her composure. They were here for a reason and she had to find out before they started picking on her about her scare.

"Excuse me for being rude, but what do you two want?" She replied in a firm tone.

"Oh, I wanted to ask you something back at the guild but you were already in a rush out. Although, I don't think this is the right place to talk though when we're out in the open like this. Would you like to join me and Gajeel for coffee later?"

Hazel is a little confused from the way Lucy is acting but nonetheless gave her a response that she thinks will mess with her head a little. "You're going to be paying for it, right?" Sounding serious and firm.

Of course Lucy gave her a glare that Hazel was wanting and was about to tell her off when Hazel chuckled lightly and waved a hand in front of her. "I was just kidding, so don't get your panties in a bunch. Yes, I'd love to join you."

"Awesome! See you about seven o'clock?"

"Yeah, see you then." Hazel replied quickly as Lucy started walking away proudly.

Gajeel walked out from behind her and placed a hand on top of her head to ruffle her hair. "See you around, Turnip Green."

"Watch it, you hedge-hog. I'm going to get you back eventually for scaring me the way you did."

"Ha, I would like to see you try to scare me out of my pants."

Hazel smiles proudly and gives me an alluring gaze that sent shivers down his spine. That's a gaze she doesn't give anyone, so this was a first for him and her. "Should I take that as a challenge?"

"Challenge, dare, whatever. Give it your best shot. See you around, Hazel."

"Catch you later, Redfox." Hazel replied shortly then gave him a small wave as she walked away with a smile on her face.

Gajeel watched her walk off with a peculiar glare, getting that vibe again that there is something off about her. He has been wondering about it ever since she joined the guild and hasn't displayed her magic to anyone yet. He can tell she's hiding something and he desperately wants to find out. But chances will come soon enough.

* * *

Later that evening, Hazel walked down the nearly dark streets of Magnolia again heading in the direction where she will be meeting Lucy and Gajeel for coffee. She knows where she's going because she has been there several times and enjoys that cafe because the coffee is good and they have some of the most scrumptious bear claws. Her mouth watered just from thinking about it but she had to pass up the delicious pastry when she ate not too long ago. Her stomach is uncomfortably full since she made a really good meal for herself and nearly ate the whole thing. Desert at this point is out of the question, but coffee sure isn't. She turned her eyes away from the street that she has been eyeing for the longest time to see the coffee shop in view. Hazel can see that Lucy and Gajeel already arrived and are talking rather softly. She had to glare at them knowingly but had a small smile from how those two were acting.

Once she came closer to the two, Lucy beamed happily then ushered her to the table that they were sitting at. Hazel chuckled softly then planted herself on a chair across from the couple. "I hope you don't mind if I got you the house special today. It's _really_ good." Lucy replied with a wide smile.

"Not at all, it's one of my favorites. You might want to be careful with that smile of yours, Luce. I could very well stay that way. So, what got you so happy?" Hazel asked as she lend forward with the caramel mocha latte in her hands.

"Oh, it was something that Gajeel said before you got here. Nothing that you should worry yourself with, that's for sure."

"Considering the bright smile, that it tickled you greatly not that it bothers me any. So, if you don't mind me asking without you blowing your top, but when did you two start dating?" Hazel asked suddenly with a smile on her face.

Lucy blushed that she nearly glowed with wide eyes and Gajeel couldn't help but blush a little as well from her throwing that out in the open. "Oh, we're not dating!" Lucy replied nervously with arms waving in front of her.

"Oh come on, Luce. It's as clear as day plus he does have an arm wrapped around you." Hazel beamed while she pointed at Gajeel's arm around Lucy's shoulder. He didn't remove his arm when she pointed this out but he did give her a glare.

Lucy growled softly with a pout, wondering how Hazel knew. "How did you know?"

"It's not hard for to me sense people's wavelengths especially they change when it comes to love, Lucy. I noticed it the first day I met you two and your connection with Gajeel just keeps getting stronger. There's no denying that you two are in love and you are trying your damnest to keep it a secret. You can trust me though. Your secret is safe with me." Hazel explained.

"You can sense wavelengths? That's interesting, but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. Thanks for keeping it to yourself, though. I was wondering if you could join me, Natsu and Gray on a mission."

Hazel had a feeling that it dealt with the mission and she wasn't afraid to say the same thing to her. "I had a feeling that's what you wanted to talk about. Natsu and Gray already approached me about it and I already gave them an answer which I'm sticking to it. I'm not interested." Hazel said flatly then took a sip of her coffee.

Lucy is confused but she had to wonder why she didn't want to join them. "Well, why not? It's not like its a dangerous mission or anything."

"It's not that, it's_" Hazel stopped herself from saying anything. She didn't want to express her concern for the mission when they were dead set in going. Hazel would have to give them a _really_ good reason why she felt the way she did and hoped that they would back out of it while they still can. But she couldn't do that. Not when Natsu and Gray were so excited in taking a mission with Lucy. Just the thought of those two made her wonder if she should reconsider but something kept telling her, no. Just don't go, she will regret it.

"It's what?" Lucy asked when Hazel didn't finish.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it, but I stand by my decision. I'm sorry, Lucy."

At that, Lucy's smile faded and look dejected from Hazel's response. "I was really hoping that you would reconsider. We would be able to get some girl time to talk so I could get to know you better. I figured I turn to you for taking the mission with us because there is just so much that the guild doesn't know about you. We don't know what your magic is yet alone your past. I'm not trying to push you or anything, but could you at least give it more thought?"

Hazel felt her heart drop from Lucy's tone. She didn't like that tone and wanted to give her some sort of comfort and say that she would at least think about it more, but something kept telling her not to. She still has this nagging feeling and doesn't know if she should say anything. Well, there is the statement of people not knowing her magic. She has a reason for that and has an explanation for it.

"I know, no one really knows what my magic is and I much rather keep it a secret until it becomes dire. It's a magic that gets me in a lot of trouble and I want to keep it under the radar." She sighs heavily and was about to say more about it when Gajeel chimed finally.

"Why is it that you won't join, Hazel? There's something that you're hiding from them and they should at least know what your thoughts are."

"It's difficult and I can't say what my concerns are when there is a possibility of someone overhearing. If it makes you feel any better, Lucy, I will at least give it more thought." Hazel replies without thinking. She realized she said the wrong thing and wished that she could take it back. 'Damn it all! Why did I have to say anything!' Hazel screamed at herself.

Hazel saw a smile spread on Lucy's face then she pulled something out of her bag and presented it to her. "I went ahead and bought us tickets for our travels. There is a train leaving for Clover Town at eight in the morning. When you make your decision, you know where to go." Lucy replied then stood from her chair to leave Hazel to think things over.

Gajeel watched her for only a moment then turned his gaze to Hazel to tell her one last thing before he left her to her thoughts. "I suggest you reconsider and go for Lucy's sake, Haze. If you think there is something about the mission that is concerning you then you should go by your instincts and tag along, just to be safe." With that, he stood up and quickly followed after Lucy.

Hazel is left at the cafe table with her thoughts swarming. She looked down at the train ticket with a content glare. She made her decision long ago but there is something tugging at her that should go despite her head telling her not to. She has a lot to think about, but in the back of her mind she knew what she needed to do and that was to follow her heart.

* * *

So, what do you all think of this chapter? I really enjoyed writing this one and can't wait to start working on Chapter 3 which I will at least get started on this evening. Let me know what you all think. Thanks again for the read, and sorry it was a little lengthy. I can't help myself sometimes. :) Chow for now and don't forget to review.


	3. Aboard, Team Natsu

Hey everyone, here's a little shorter chapter for you. It's a little something of what happens in the train booth before the gang arrives to meet their client. Content Warning:No GaLu fluff in this chapter, sorry. They will return in a later chapter, so be patient. :)

* * *

Morning came really fast for Natsu, Gray and Lucy. They stood at the platform ready to board the train for Clover Town for their mission, although they were a little antsy. Natsu and Gray eyed Lucy as they impatiently waited for their fourth team member to arrive, but they showed signs of uncertainty that they would not be coming. Lucy felt disappointed since their train will be leaving soon and she has high hopes that her conversation with Hazel yesterday got to change her mind. She's nervous, but she is also anticipating what her final decision is. She eyed the entrance of Omnibus station, waiting for Hazel to make her appearance.

"She's not coming, Luce. Just forget about it and let's get on. The train will be leaving shortly." Natsu replied a low, depressing tone.

"She's coming, just, give her one more minute." Lucy replied as she continued to stare out into the crowd.

"We can't spare another minute for her, Lucy. She obviously made up her mind, so let's get going." Gray responded with his finger pointing at the train behind him.

Lucy looks away from the crowd over at her team, seeing the disappointment in their glares at her. She felt a twinge in her heart from the sight of them being rejected like this then made a sad nod and approached the train. Just as the three of them were about to board, they heard some scuffling and a small ahem from behind them. Lucy was the first to look while the boys followed and their eyes laid on an embarrassed yet nervous Hazel. There is a twinge of pink on her cheeks and that's when they started to look at her oddly.

Hazel didn't say anything. She moved forwards to the door of the train but paused briefly to exchange a few words. "Just this once and that's it." Hazel replied with her pointer finger shooting up.

Before she climbed into the train, Natsu roughly squeezed her around her chest in a tight bear hug. Hazel is completely shocked yet alone caught off guard when he roughly grabbed her. Her eyes bulged like bug-eyes and mouth gapped open. She is at a loss for words, maybe even air. Natsu is to the point of suffocating her from hugging Hazel so tightly because he couldn't contain his happiness. He held her for a second longer then placed her back down on the ground with his wide grin on his face. Hazel on the other hand has an exasperated look on her face and short of breath from Natsu's bear hug.

"Glad you could make it, Hazel, and thanks for coming. It's going to be great having you on our team! Let's go, team!" He says happily with that grin of his then jumped onto the train, completely forgetting his motion sickness at the moment.

Hazel just watched him briefly with her teeth grinding in agitation then turned to Lucy and Gray, who have equally happy grins. She can't comprehend why they are so happy to have her there, it's not like she's going to stick with them after this. Maybe they just like to have her company and learn to make friends with one another. Hazel of course doesn't have that much of friends right now except for the few that she allowed, but she had to wonder what the whole concept of being in a guild meant. To be friends? Or be like a family? Or just not give a damn at all and just co-exist with one another like the Dark Guilds?

"We're really glad that you could make it, Hazel. It's going to be a better trip with you around." Gray replied as he climbed aboard the train.

Hazel watched for a second then turned to Lucy, seeing that relief and joy in her brown eyes. "Thanks Hazel for reconsidering, it means a lot."

"You shouldn't thank me, Lucy."

"Oh but I should. I'm guessing our conversation last night made you change your mind, huh?"

"Our conversation had nothing to do with my decision making, Luce. Something occurred to me and that's all I'm going to say."

"Okay, that's fine. Still, I'm glad you made it. Now let's get on before the train rolls away." Lucy replied happily then skipped up the steps and inside the train carriage.

Hazel on the other hand eyed the entrance to the station with a content glare. She knew what she had to do and she is honestly not sure how everything is going to work out. Her nerves are on fire and her senses are flowing with her natural wavelength. She knows that something is going to happen on this mission and she is going to see to it that she is wrong for once.

* * *

The booth that the team sat in was quiet for the most part, mostly because no one knew what to start talking about while they traveled. Lucy sat opposite of Hazel and Gray with a severely motion sick Natsu in her lap. She gently stroked his hair to calm his stomach while she looked out the window next to her to watch the scenery. Gray was sitting there bored out of his mind with a hand underneath his chin and staring out into space. Hazel who has been quiet since she joined them in the booth, eyed the sleeping form of Natsu. She is curious how a dragon slayer like him could have this kind of sickness and it's rather odd for her to eye him like she is.

After a considerable amount of time in silence, Hazel finally gathered the courage to break the ice. "Is this how he is whenever he travels?"

"Yeah, its pretty constant but we still manage despite it. I'm not sure how he copes with it but it always seems my comforting fingers does the trick whenever we're traveling by train." Lucy replied quickly as she looked down at her best friend.

"It actually gets boring after a while because we should be talking strategy about the mission but since he decided to take the leadership role, we can't do that." Gray butted with annoyance.

"Why would he decide to take that role? He doesn't look like a natural born leader with the way he acts." Hazel responded right away as she continued to eye Natsu.

"He may seem childish at times, but he means well."

"So it seems. Why don't you take over the second in command Gray so we could at least discuss what action to take for this mission?"

"That seems fair since he is down for the count. Lucy, do you have any clues of what we're up against?"

Lucy quickly shakes her head. "There's nothing for me to decipher what kind of magic the dark mages use. It's odd, the description doesn't tell us much of what exactly they are doing to terrorize the shop. It's confusing really."

"Maybe it's a good thing I came along because from what I understand and what the job description tells us, that the shop owner is leaving something out. I mean, look at the job reward. Don't you think it's a bit over the top to have four mages take down whatever the number of dark mages are?"

"Now that you mention, the reward is pretty substantial. What are your other thoughts of the matter, Hazel?" Gray asked as he looked over at her with curiosity. He likes the fact that she is putting in her two cents and is relying on her opinion about the job. Gray can tell that she is pretty knowledgable in certain areas and has to wonder what her plan of attack is.

Hazel glanced at Gray briefly then held out her hand. Gray could only stare at her oddly, wondering what she is implying. "The mission brief, Gray. I need to take a look at it." Hazel asked kind of rudely but he quickly complied. He handed the mission to her where she then sat in silence for what seemed like five minutes to look over the job again. After a while in silence, Hazel breaks the silence to tell him more.

"I have a couple of ideas of what we can do as far as a strategy plan and I do have several back-up plans incase we ever get compromised. Since we don't know what kind of magic these mages have, we have to guess that they are not good ones. My plans may sound good right now, but we don't have enough information to just stick to them. I will bring them up to Natsu when we meet our client and get the proper information we need to take action. From there, we will choose which plan is best. I would like you to take the second best option we have incase the first one fails, Gray. Now bare in mind, if worse comes to worse and all our strategies fall short, there is only one other option." Hazel explained with serious glare and with several fingers cupping her chin in thought. A habit she does whenever she is in deep thought.

The tone that she gave off made both Lucy and Gray uneasy because they are not exactly sure what she has in mind right now. Although, they do have to give her credit for coming up with several battle plans and trust her that she knows what she is doing. Well, they have no choice but to trust her since she has gone on five solo missions since she joined and handled them like an S-Class ranked mage. She must be good if she has done that and has several back-up plans just to be safe. Though, they do have to question what other option she has in mind in a worse case scenario. Are they prepared for it? Probably not.

"So, are you saying that in a worse case scenario that we abandon the mission?" Lucy asked in shock apparent in her voice.

"That's, not what I was implying. In any worse case scenario, I will be taking over the mission."

"Excuse me?" Gray asked in shock. "You can't just take over a mission if all else fails. We handle the mission as a team."

"Listen to me, Gray. I know this is a team effort, but you have to realize if things don't go according to plan, it could very well put more shame onto Fairy Tail. If you don't want to disappoint Fairy Tail or Master Makarov for that matter, you have to trust me in taking over. Natsu is in fact the team leader with you as second in command and sorry for putting labels on it, but Lucy is our medic and we have to protect her at all cost. She has her uses with her celestial magic keys and there is no doubt in my mind that she can handle her own. She's strong, her wavelengths prove that. I'm here because I chose to be your back-up incase something ever went wrong and I'm going to take that role to heart. When we meet the client and I have the information I need, I will present my plan of attack to Natsu and we'll go from there. I know you don't like what I'm saying, but it is the truth. Please understand my position." Hazel replied, putting everything she has been thinking about out in the open.

They had to know where she stood in all of this and she proved a very valuable point. She is in fact there as their back-up and just the way she said it made her stronger then what she shows. Gray eyed her in astonishment, knowing full well that Hazel's abilities are not to be ignored or underestimated and has this good feeling that she will see to it that they succeed in their mission. She has defiantly proven her worth from what she explained just moments ago and Gray believes that she is more then trustworthy.

"If that's what you want to do then I can't stop you from doing what you need to do to get the job done right. I'm putting my trust in you completely if anything goes wrong, Hazel. I'm glad you joined our guild." Gray replies with a big smile.

Lucy couldn't help but smile as well. She could tell that Hazel is starting to show her true colors though this mission they are taking and believes that it is best. Hazel had always seemed distant and indifferent towards others, but for the last two weeks she has become a little open and willing to accept some guild members as friends. Lucy can proudly say that she is a friend of Hazel's even Gajeel, because they both wanted to accept her for who she was despite her coldness.

"I agree with Gray, Hazel. I trust you if anything went wrong. I hope you don't mind me asking though, how are you so intone with everything around you? It's impressive."

"I learn from experience, something that I learned when I was young. Which is a topic I don't want to discuss right now. We're getting close to our destination, so how about we shift our focus back to the mission instead of my past?" Hazel replied quickly which she seemed nervous at the same time when she spoke.

"Why don't you want to talk about it? Everyone wants to know the story behind Hazel Witchbane, so why won't you open up about your past?" Gray asked suddenly.

"It's a sour topic. Now leave it alone." Hazel replies harshly then turned her gaze to the window to look out at the scenery. She hates it when people bring up her past not because its annoying but for the fact that it brings back horrible memories. She hates her past and wishes that it doesn't go with her everywhere she goes. Its always haunting her mind especially at night when she has nightmares of them. She sighs heavily then completely shuts herself off to those around her to ignore their concerned expressions and avoid bringing up anything about herself that she would regret.

Hazel knows it is not the right time to talk about her past and she hopes that they will understand her sourness towards the topic once they find out. So for now, she has to keep her mouth shut about it until she felt was ready to speak on what made her the way she is. Heartless.

* * *

Well, that's it for that chapter. What do you all think? I know it's not much but I wanted to bring forth her concerns for the mission and what she was thinking. Chapter 4 will be coming shortly that will reveal a decent chunk of Hazel's past. Sorry if its slow moving. Chow for now :)


	4. A Mission's Glimpse

I want to give a quick shout out to Sakuya Konohana for their support and inspiring me in taking this story further then what I originally planned. Thanks! :) Hey everyone, here's another chapter for you and sorry that I haven't uploaded sooner then I wanted, I actually fell asleep while fixing errors last night. :P Sorry if it's a little lengthy again. You will be getting a hint of Hazel's family history in this one and the sub-plot for the upcoming follow-up story that I will have up soon. So for now, enjoy the read. :)

* * *

When the team finally arrived to Clover Town, Gray, Lucy and Hazel immediately sought out their client's location while dragging a still dazed Natsu behind them. Hazel was kind enough to carry him about half a mile since the delinquent fire dragon slayer was out of it because of his motion sickness. At the half way point, the weight of the dragon slayer and her agitation towards him got the better of her and landed a fist on the top of his head. Natsu then regained his composure and became himself again where he immediately thanked Hazel for carrying him. Though he was confused why Hazel was carrying him on her back instead of Gray. Hazel had been silent the whole time while they traveled and Natsu of course tried to get her to talk but failed countless times. He could tell from her attitude that she wasn't in the mood and he usually doesn't give up but Natsu has learned first hand not to push her buttons when she is in a bad mood. It made him shiver at the thought of him getting his lesson learned when he openly called her a freak the second day she joined the guild. She beat him senselessly from being referred by that name but she was also unleashing her frustrations and anger out on him while she was in a bad mood. So needless to say that Natsu is not going to egg her on in talking. Although, Natsu did remember that after her blowout that she came to apologize for lashing out at him hours afterwards. He doesn't understand her at times, but he can tell that there is some good in her. They just can't see it yet.

When they did arrive to the clients shop, the four stood outside with their mouths gapping. It was a pretty decent sized shop and was a little on the fancy side despite its location. The shop is a two-story building made out of white alabaster and rich colored wood. The shop is in magic trading and supplies which they all agreed silently that they could all use something after their mission is completed successfully.

They were happily greeted upon arriving at the door by one of the owner's employees and were escorted to the office that was on the second floor of the shop. The four mages piled into a spacious office that looked of a middle aged man's study. The room is filled with books along either side of the wall beside them, an antique globe that sat in the back, a grandfather clock nestled snuggly in a back corner and a large mahogany chest just behind the owner. The room is decently lit by a charming chandelier and the afternoon sun pouring out from a window behind the male. He has a very pleased smile when the four entered the room and gave them a cheerful welcome.

"Welcome to my shop, younglings. You must be the mages from FairyTail. The name's Harold Barret. Thank you so much for coming and taking care of the job for me. Mind if I ask of your names before we begin?" Harold asked as his full mustache wiggled in delight.

Hazel had to contain herself from the sight of the man's bushy mustache moving like it was, but she couldn't help but take in the man's feature while he still smiled so brightly. The man is in his late forties, possibly pushing fifty, and is balding at the crown. His face is beginning to show faint wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, his nose was abnormally large and dipped downwards. For his age, he looked somewhat attractive despite is failing physique. Looked like the guy is packing some weight around his mid-section but not to any extremes.

"Sure thing, pops. I'm Natsu Dragneel and these are my friends Gray Fullbuster and Lucy Heartfilia. And this is our newest member of FairyTail, Hazel Witchbane." Natsu chimed brightly then hooked an arm around Hazel's neck in a friendly manner.

"Don't be flinging my name around so casually, Natsu." She hissed under her breath then shoved him away to straighten herself up.

"You're a Witchbane? Pardon my rudeness, miss, but your family name has left quiet an impression over the years. Frankly, the Witchbane name is still quiet feared throughout EarthLand because of their choice of trade." Harold replied in shock.

"Believe me, Mr. Barret, I'm not proud to carry such a name when the choice of trade is all my father's doing. He is to blame for the fear that has developed over EarthLand not me, so I must apologize for alarming you." Hazel replied while she adjusted her glasses to the bridge of her nose.

"Really, child? Then you must be the last remaining living Witchbane besides your father. How is your father these days, by the way?"

Hazel paused for a moment because firstly she didn't want to reveal too much of her history in front of her guild members and secondly, most importantly, she did not like talking about it freely in front of strangers. However, the thought of her father springing so causally in their meeting sparked unwanted anger towards the man. She held back a furious growl to politely but firmly inform their client of her connection with her father.

"I wouldn't know. I haven't seen or heard from that disgrace of a man in twelve years and I don't plan on contacting him anytime soon."

Mr. Barret looked at her oddly from her tone, just a little taken aback but nonetheless surprised that Hazel wants nothing to do with her father. It struck him as odd because he wasn't sure what has happened to her specifically that she would have that opinion but he did know the Witchbane history. It's not a good one to say the least, especially the events that occurred over the years that has caused so much fear towards the Witchbane's.

"It has been that long? It's a shame really, from what I have heard that your father misses you dearly and is searching far and wide for you."

"Humph, I doubt that he misses me. That cold-hearted bastard could care less of my safety but it's not a topic to talk about so freely in front of my guild mates."

"Now, now, no need to talk about your father that way, miss. Sorry to prude, but do your friends here know anything about your past?" The owner suddenly asked.

Hazel inhaled sharply from him mentioning anything about it, she's actually wondering why he's asking her these questions. Come to think of it, why would their client be asking about her anyway. It was odd to her but Hazel and her rag tag team were not here to discuss her history but the job they took. Although, there is something about the question that is bothering her. Why was he asking about her guild mates as friends of hers? If she gave him an answer that he wanted, then he could very well use that information to tip her off. Call her paranoid, but she is now beginning to think that there is something else going on instead of his shop being terrorized by dark mages.

Lucy, who has been watching her the whole time, noticed Hazel's change in attitude but she could see that her fingers curled into a loose fist. She could tell that the topic is getting under her skin and quiet frankly someone needed to interject soon before Hazel lost control of her emotions. Just as she was about to interject into the conversation, Hazel once again opened her mouth but it left her companions in a state of shock.

"These people here are not friends of mine, I don't even consider them family. They are simply colleagues, acquaintances really and nothing further. As far as my past is concerned, they don't need to know the full details of my history. I'm not even sure why this is a topic of choice. We came here to fix a problem that you're facing not to discuss my horrid past. So, if you would please give us more information about this job so we can start working."

The three mages looked at Hazel with complete shock as she spoke to their client in that fashion, wondering if they are now no longer needed because of her attitude. They were also hurt that she would not consider them friends, especially Lucy. 'Why is she acting so hostile all of the sudden? Is there something that we are missing?' Lucy thought as she continued to eye Hazel from beside her.

Natsu, however, gave Hazel a furious glare but she paid no mind to that expression of his. However, she did turn to him that resulted in him erasing his expression. The look in her eye looked furious, but Natsu can tell that there is this hidden sadness and regret in her stare. He is confused and had to wonder what made her have that awful expression.

"You're the team leader, Natsu, now speak up before I do." Hazel growled under her breath, hoping that he would catch her drift and take over the talking and get them out of this conversation that should have been dismissed long ago.

"Like my, _colleague_ mentioned before, could you tell us more about this job? Like, could you tell us what it is these dark mages are doing to terrorize your shop?" Natsu quickly asked when he noticed the owner was about the add something about Hazel's attitude. Natsu could tell that she needed rescuing from that conversation and he was happy to oblige. His dragon instincts were telling him that she was on the verge of snapping and they needed to keep her anger in check. Natsu still did not like the fact that she disregarded the team as colleagues instead of friends, yet alone family. Well, he can understand the family part since she hasn't been with the guild long enough to call them her family yet. She is still trying to warm up to socializing with everyone at the guild, considering now that he has a good idea of what caused her to be the way she is. Cold, indifferent and ill-tempered. Someone has to try to ease into her heart and bring out the good in her, quickly.

Distracting Mr. Barret away from Hazel was very easy to say the least and Natsu was glad that they quickly changed the subject.

"Of course," Harold replied then made a glare at Hazel with distaste after her rudeness. "I have to be honest, but I'm not entirely sure why these mages are terrorizing my shop but I think it has something to do with my newest employee, which is my granddaughter Carmela. The mages have been coming to my shop at night when she is working the late shift. It has gotten to the point that the mages have tried to put harm onto her. I then had to do something when they threatened her when I came to check on her last week." Harold explained.

"Do you know how long this has been going on?"

"A month exactly, at first it was little things that annoyed me like vandalizing but after my Carmela came, they became aggressive."

"If it has been like this for a month, why didn't you ask someone sooner?" Gray butted before Natsu asked another question.

"I was actually hoping that they would get bored and leave us alone, but I guess that was just wishful thinking."

"Pardon me for butting in, but I'm curious if you know anything about the mages magic. Do you have any idea what we are dealing with?" Hazel suddenly asked. She was quiet for the most part but that was the one question that Gray and Natsu were trying to avoid. She could tell because it seemed that they wanted to take their chances and jump into battle when they got the chance.

Even though she asked that question to Mr. Barret, he paused for a moment and Hazel caught that hesitation quickly while the others didn't. She then had to wonder why the three are not so observant with their clients actions. Hazel can tell that he is hiding something and she wants him to spill the beans so they would't have any surprises during their mission.

"I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that, Miss Witchbane. Carmela and I haven't seen them use any sort of magic but I do know for certain that they have magic powers. I just don't know what they are."

"Do you know how many mages there are? Or is that something else you don't know?" Hazel asked harshly.

"Hazel, calm down and let Natsu do the rest of the talking. If we need you to step in, we will ask you to. Other then that, keep quiet."Gray suddenly replied as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. He can tell just in her tone that she is still sour from the previous conversation and there is a lingering energy in the room. Her talking is just going to make things worse for them and he needs to put some reigns on her so she doesn't explode.

Hazel didn't say anything towards him, she just glared at him viciously but nonetheless kept her mouth shut until they were ready for her to speak.

"Please, excuse our friend here, Mr. Barret. She's not that much of company but her intentions are same as ours. She wants to see this mission completed successfully but I think our previous conversation has brought her mood down even more then normal. So forgive us, for her rudeness." Lucy chimed with a smile at him then gave Hazel a comforting glare afterwards.

"You shouldn't be speaking on her behalf. But to answer your question, Miss Witchbane, I do know how many mages there are. There is a total of three mages, at least from what I've counted that night."

"And you said you don't know what kind of magic they use, correct?" Natsu asked politely.

"Yes."

"Then would you mind telling us what time they usually attack? I think it would be a good idea to know that important detail."

"I'm sorry, but it varies. Most of the time they attack around closing time which is ten o'clock but there have been occasions when no one is present."

This caught Hazel's attention rather quickly. She had already planned out a few strategies for this mission but when she learned that they attack at various times, Hazel had to rethink her strategy. She thought very briefly of which one of the other plans she had and reconstruct it to fit this odd time slot. "May I request to speak, Natsu?" Hazel asked suddenly with her eyes straining in concentration.

"Yes, you can speak. Do you have something that you want to ask?"

"No, more like a suggestion. Since this meeting and despite the rough start because of my bluntness, I have been considering some strategy plans to complete this mission. From the information I gathered, I propose a stake out while they are closing shop. If the mages decide to strike at ten o'clock, we would be prepared to end their tirade the moment they arrive. Of course, we would put at risk an employee or Mr. Barret's granddaughter getting in the mix."

"I would rather not put my employees or family at risk, but I do agree that a stake out would probably be best at this point." Mr. Barret announced.

"If we do a stake out and they don't come until after they close shop, then no one else would be at risk. So I think we should start out as body guards firstly then take action from there." Gray chimed as he looked over at Hazel.

"Although, if anything doesn't go according to plan, I do have a few back-up plans in mind that we can engage in promptly. Of course, we have to prepare ourselves what kind of magic these mages have. So we have to be on our toes when they make their appearance."

"I trust that you know what to do when it comes to the nitty gritty, Miss Witchbane. Despite your family history and the trouble it caused over the years, the one good thing about the family name is that Witchbane's are very resourceful and are very keen on their intellect. Please save my save shop and I will reward you graciously."

"You can count on us, pops because the mages at FairyTail don't give up easily." Natsu replied with his signature goofy grin.

"Thank you for your time, mages. Please feel free to look around my shop before you start the mission. Miss Witchbane, mind if I have a brief word with you in private?"

Natsu, Lucy and Gray glanced at Hazel who stopped in her tracks when he asked her to stay hang back which only made them worry that their private conversation is going to be a sour one. Lucy gave Hazel a comforting squeeze on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "Everything will be alright, if you need anything, just let us know, okay?" Lucy replied then was forced away from Hazel thanks to Natsu and Gray. They pulled her out of the office then closed the door behind them.

* * *

Hazel stood still in her spot for a moment then turned her gaze at Mr. Barret with a knowing glare. "I apologize for my attitude earlier, Mr. Barret. The subject always puts me in a sour mood, so I'm sorry for being so rude to you." Hazel started as she gave her client an apologetic gaze. She did feel sorry but at the same time she hated that he was prying to get her past out in the open and around her guild mates.

"I understand your sourness about your past, Hazel. It is rather grim and I apologize for prying. I accept your apology and I hope that you can forgive me for bringing up such a hard topic in front of your guild mates. I do have to ask why you haven't told them about your past yet. Do you not want to them to know the grizzly truth about you?"

"I rather not have them know the gruesome details until they are ready to hear it. I have just recently joined FairyTail and I didn't give off a very good first impression to everyone. My past is to stay hidden for the time being and I want to keep it that way. Although, after the conversation we had at first gave my team mates a little glimpse of that past I want to keep buried."

"I understand you want to keep it on the down low, Hazel, but you have to realize that it's going to eventually come out into the open. Most likely in a way that you will regret. I didn't want to just apologize for being so pushy about your past, Hazel, I also wanted to discuss a rumor that I have heard recently."

"A rumor?" Hazel echoed.

"When I told you that your father was searching for you, that is the truth. There is a rumor that your father has dark mages out there somewhere searching for you and are wanting to return you to him. He has a very large sum of money to reward the mages for your retrieval and to bring you back alive and unharmed. Like I said, it is a rumor. I don't want you to get caught off guard if you were jumped by these mages that are hunting you down. I knew your father once before and I regretted ever meeting him."

Hazel didn't say anything for a considerable amount of time after Mr. Barret informed her of this rumor. She is staring at him with wide, angered eyes wondering why her father is searching for her. Hazel also had to wonder where he heard this rumor, but nonetheless she is on edge and has to try to focus on this mission. She sighed heavily after a few long minutes of silence then spoke to break the silence between the two.

"Thank you for informing me about this, Mr. Barret. It's very kind of you but like you said this is only a rumor. If the rumor turns out to be true then expect to see in the headlines in the next paper that Hazel Witchbane's body has been discovered from an apparent suicide."

"Excuse me?"

"If those goons end up finding me, I will not be leaving willingly. I would fight them but I would rather end my existence then return to that man. Thank you again for giving me this information. If anyone asks about me please tell them that you didn't see me at all in this town or where I am. Can you promise me that?"

"Hazel, you can count on me in keeping a promise. Now please, Miss Hazel Witchbane, that you take good care of yourself. And I bid you good luck in the future and this mission."

"Thank you, Mr. Barret. You can count on me and my team to end the mages tirade on your beautiful shop. That's a FairyTail's promise." Hazel replied then momentarily exited his office. She has a lot of thinking to do and there will most likely be some tree abuse from unleashing her bubbling anger that has been burning in her veins.

* * *

Outside of Mr. Barret's shop, Natsu, Gray and Lucy stood around waiting for their fourth party to emerge out the building. They have been thinking about the conversation they had when they first entered the client's office and they are needless to say, curious maybe even angered that Hazel displayed such disrespect towards them.

"I wonder what kind of past that Hazel has that she would be so, hostile towards the client. What a bad first impression for a first time client, wouldn't you think?" Lucy started as she leaned against an alabaster column with her eyes to the sky.

"I would have to say that was in fact the worse first impression. I wouldn't act that way to anyone, but according to Hazel that it's okay to disrespect elders, too?" Gray replied, voicing his opinion rather harshly.

"She has a reason for being sour like that, you two. From what I could tell that she is heartbroken that she has this sort of past. I have to wonder what kind of trade her family was in that she would detest it." Natsu had said, in a way defending her of the rudeness she displayed.

"Are you supporting her behavior in there, flame brain?"

"I wasn't supporting anything, I just feel sympathy towards her. There was something in her eyes when she glared at me about us not being friends to her. She looked, so sad."

"What do you mean by that?"

"She seems really upset about it, almost like she doesn't want to be reminded of it. Of course, it only rises questions of what is so horrible about her past."

"You know, we could ask. It shouldn't be that hard to get her to open up now that the cat is out of the bag."

"I honestly think we shouldn't push her. She's already in a foul mood and I don't want another blowup from her." Natsu replied simply, hoping that Gray would understand where he is coming from. He wants to know too, but he knew that right now is not a good time to ask. He looked over his shoulder at Lucy to get her opinion, but her gaze was away from him. It looked like she wanted to know, too, and is willing to take on her fury. Natsu is disappointed in her that Lucy wants to know just as much of Hazel's past as Gray does and it worried him to great lengths.

Natsu was about to say something to the both of them when Hazel came out of the building with a very dejected expression on her face. He was the only one that noticed whilst Gray didn't acknowledge that look of pure sadness when he roughly grabbed her arm to get an explanation out of her from the behavior she displayed.

"What the hell was all of that in there? You could have gotten us fired from the job, Hazel. What the hell is the matter with you?" Gray yelled close to her ear.

She didn't seem phased by it which only made Natsu worry even more for her. Hazel didn't look at Gray but snapped back with anger apparent in her voice. "Get your hands off of me, Fullbuster!" She pronounced each word then jerked her arm out of his grasp and shot a venomous glare at him from grabbing her like that. If she wanted, Hazel could have killed Gray then with that glare still plastered on her face.

"You have no idea what I can do to you if you push this subject even further. I _do not_ want to talk about it, so you better drop it if you know what is best for you, ice-stripper." Hazel replied harshly and was about to head off to blow some steam when Gray grabbed her again, but with a harder grasp.

"Talk to me, Hazel. What is so bad about your past?" He asked as he tugged her towards him, accidentally sliding her glove down her arm and exposed cool air on her skin. This is where she drew the line. She viciously turned on her heel and back handed Gray with her free hand across his jaw. Gray's jaw quickly swelled from her vicious hit then a very unpleasant snarl came out of her that he didn't think she would have.

"_I SAID DROP IT!__"_

Gray looked at Hazel out of shock from her viciously hitting him like she did and was about to snap back when he noticed something that he regretted seeing. When she turned and back handed him so roughly, he saw a glitter of light in front of her eyes. That glitter he saw was her tears, tears that are filled with fury and dread. He didn't think that Hazel could cry, but he was quickly proven wrong when he pushed her to the limit about her past. Gray then felt deeply pained that he forced her to talk about something that brought tremendous pain to her heart. More importantly, he didn't like the sight of her crying. He didn't like to see anybody cry, period.

"Hazel, I'm_"

"Save it. Now leave me be." Hazel replied with her voice cracked and full of grieve then quickly turned away from a severely concerned Gray who held his arm out that use to contain hers. He watched as she adjusted her glove on her arm back to where it was then gingerly held her arm in her other hand. Her head is lowered to stare down at the ground, which only made Gray feel worse not because of how upset she looks but how her past affects her when it is brought up. It just confirms Gray's assumption that she lived a horrible life before FairyTail, so he'll just have to wait until she is ready to open up to anyone who is willing to listen.

He watched on as Hazel disappeared down the road and out of sight, leaving him, Natsu and Lucy to worry for her wellbeing.

"Do you think one of us should follow her just to be safe?" Lucy asked with nervousness apparent in her voice. She's concerned for Hazel and wishes that she could help ease her pain since she considers herself a friend to her. She may have said to the client that they were not friends of hers, but Lucy feels she said that for the protection of her team mates incase Mr. Barret decided to try touch base with her father, if he knew him personally.

"No, let's leave her be for a while and let her cool off. Looks like she really needs some time by herself. We will wait here for her when she returns. We will then at that point begin our mission." Gray replied shortly after then slowly trudged away from Lucy and Natsu who looked at him suspiciously. They could tell that her actions deeply affected him and had to wonder if, by any chance Hazel gained someone that could feel her pain, to sympathize with her and give her the comfort she needs.

* * *

Well, what did you think of this one? Chapter 5 will go into a little more detail about the Witchbane trade and they will be some girl bonding between Lucy and Hazel before the team takes on the mages. It will take me a little longer to update since it is Mother's Day weekend. I will get Chapter 5 sometime during the week. So hang tight everyone. Don't forget to review. Chow for now :)


	5. Fight to Identify

Hey everyone, sorry for a late update. We'll get to know a little more about Hazel in this chapter and my favorite celestial spirit, Leo the Lion makes his appearance. (Squeals) ^_^ Again, it's a lengthy chapter, so bring out some chips and salsa. :) Enjoy the read.

* * *

It had been several hours since Hazel took off after the group met with their client, Harold Barret and after she had slapped Gray. They didn't think she would return after her blowout with him but she did. When she came up to them, she looked just the same as she left, depressed. Her depressed expression made them feel bad that she was in that state and were going to ask if she was okay at all until she spoke. She brushed Natsu and Lucy off for the moment to give a heart-felt apology to Gray for lashing out at him the way she did and promised him that she wouldn't do something like that ever again. Gray was a little shocked at her but nonetheless forgave her quickly and apologized himself for acting like an ass about wanting to know her past.

It was a sweet little moment between the two then something out of the ordinary happened after she apologized to Gray. Hazel at that point, apologized to all three of them of her behavior in their meeting with Mr. Harold with a low bow. She even asked if there was any form of punishment if it deemed necessary. They quickly said no and Lucy for some reason almost thought she was Virgo from asking about a form punishment from her behavior. She could have thought that they were twins but it would have been very unlikely since her spirit is different.

It wasn't long afterwards the team stayed with the client the remainder of the evening up until the shop closed for the night. All four of them kept their eyes open to see if the mages would strike since Mr. Barret's granddaughter Carmela was taking the last shift. However, the mages didn't make their appearance which is a good thing. Hazel was relieved that they didn't come at that point and expressed it verbally to the team. She didn't want the granddaughter to get caught in the crossfire and it would be hard to convince the girl to runaway when she is hard-headed. Not exactly a good mix when they got into battle that's for sure.

Once Carmela left the shop safely, Hazel suggested that the four of them split into two and take designated areas of the shop to keep watch for the mages, Natsu agreed wholeheartedly. Natsu and Gray ended up keeping watch from the roof top to overlook the grounds while the girls stayed ground-level to face the street. Lucy kept watch of the road that led to town while Hazel kept her eyes on the street that led out. It is quiet between the two girls, mostly because they wanted to keep their ears free from sounds and distractions. However, Lucy is getting tired of the silence and the air between her and Hazel. She hasn't said much to her since the beginning of the mission and hardly spoke when Hazel returned from her blowout. Lucy is concerned still that her traveling companion hasn't opened up yet about who she is, but there is also that concern of Hazel being this depressed. She may not know her all too well, but Lucy knows when something is laying heavily on her shoulders.

"Hey, Hazel," Lucy started after so long of being quiet. In the back of her mind, Lucy didn't think that Hazel would respond to her since she is lost in her own thoughts. Although her assumption was short lived when Hazel spoke back but in that depressed tone she held.

"Yeah?"

It took Lucy a moment, but she managed to find the words to help break the ice with her and hopefully get her to talk. "Are you, going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine, thank you, Lucy."

"That's good to hear and your welcome." Lucy smiled slightly. "You know, during our meeting with Mr. Barret, Natsu, Gray and I couldn't help but wonder why our client was speaking about you when we first started. It was rather odd to us, wouldn't you agree?"

Hazel was silent for a moment, mainly because she knew that one of them was going to bring that up. In the back of her mind though, she didn't think they would acknowledge it. She thought they would just ignore the incident. Though Hazel is glad that she wasn't the only one that noticed this. "I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought this. It was rather peculiar, maybe even a little irritating that a complete stranger would know anything about my family history."

"From the way that he spoke of your family name that there is quiet a history, but I'm not one to pry when it's a sour topic for you. You can tell us what happened whenever you're ready to talk about it." Lucy replied simply then was going to leave it alone when Hazel openly discussed the topic at hand. She is confused but wondered why she would talk about it after being reminded of her past again.

"The thing is, Lucy, I didn't have a very good childhood and I live with constant reminders as scars that can't be seen."

"I think most of us at FairyTail had pasts that we are not particularly fond of. But for some reason, I get the feeling that the history behind Hazel Witchbane is not for the faint of heart from the way that you put it."

"You're right about that. I was bullied to the point that the kids almost beat me to death. I have an abusive father. I witnessed my mother's death, which is something that no young child should see. I even saw things that I shouldn't have and it haunts me still."

"Not meaning to pry, but what kind of things did you see?"

Hazel took a moment to think about that answer only because she knew that Lucy would flip out from this bit of information. "Remember what Mr. Barret said about the Witchbane choice of trade?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Well, my father is involved in the slave trade."

"Slave trade? That doesn't sound too bad." Lucy replied quiet innocently.

"Doesn't sound bad? Lucy, he may have been in the slave trade but that doesn't necessarily mean that he auctioned them off every time he got a shipment."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Meaning he tortured the slaves."

Lucy fell silent after this. She wasn't sure if she should be shocked or horrified of this information. She wanted to know why Hazel's father was, well _is_, still involved in such a horrid business. What kind of profit did that bring? Yet alone why did he do it when it could have been leaked from an outside source? Lucy didn't understand it and kind of wanted to know more about the tortured slave trade of the Witchbane's.

"Why would he torture innocent people like that?"

"Probably for the fun of it, or maybe he just wanted to see people in excoriating pain. I wouldn't know because I preferred that I didn't know about it. Once word got out of what my heartless father was doing, everyone felt terrified of us. And it only made me more prune to getting the tar beaten out of me. I hated that life and that's why I hate talking about my past."

"I could understand that especially when you watched your mother die. I can relate. I lost my mother, too. So I know how you feel."

Hazel looked slightly over at Lucy when she told her about Lucy's mother dying. They may have something in common but for some reason it felt different to Hazel. Lucy's mother most likely died of natural causes, Hazel's mother didn't. Something far worse happened to her mother and the thought of it made Hazel want to cry. She remembers that moment so vividly that it didn't feel like a memory to her, more like a reoccurring nightmare. Hazel hates everything about her past even though there may be a few fond memories before everything went downhill.

"Let's but that behind us. I don't want to go into anymore details about what happened when I still can't get over my mother's death."

"I understand, Hazel. I wouldn't want you to open up about that so soon when its still haunting your mind. But you know, there are other ways of getting to know you better instead of asking about your past."

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"Um, like what is your favorite color? Do you have any hobbies? What your favorite animal is? If you have any dislikes? What your favorite ice cream flavor is?" Lucy rambled until Hazel stopped her.

"You sure do like to talk a lot."

"Oh, sorry." Lucy replied quickly then kept herself quiet after she over excited herself in getting Hazel to tell her more about herself. She wants to know her better and what better way to do that then getting to know what Hazel's favorites are? It was quiet between the two for only a moment when Hazel broke the silence once more.

"Earth tone colors."

"Huh?"

"You know, greens and browns, earth tone colors. Those are my favorite colors and lavender."

"Let me guess, your drawn to those colors because your element sign is earth, am I right?"

"Yep, and since you know what my element is, what do you think my zodiac sign is?"

"Well, there's three signs of the zodiac that have earth as their ruling element and that's Capricorn, Taurus and Virgo. So which one of the three is your sign?"

"Think about it, princess. You don't have to guess it, right away. Even though I like to read as a hobby, I'm very fond of music and produce my own."

"Oh, really? What do you play?"

"The flute, it became a favorite of mine when Adaminna taught me how to play."

"Who's Adaminna?"

Hazel quickly threw a hand over her mouth from revealing something that she shouldn't have. 'Did I just openly say her name? You have to be careful, Hazel. You can't let anyone know what your true powers are, for crying out loud! They get you in trouble for a reason,' Hazel thought to herself. She hates herself from even mentioning that name because Lucy would have to be curious of who they were. She wanted to shrug it off but Hazel knew that she would just hurt Lucy's feelings. Just as she was about to reply, Hazel stopped herself. She heard something in the distance and her senses suddenly went haywire. Someone is approaching.

Hazel was about to tell Lucy to keep quiet when she looked in her direction but stopped when a voice erupted in the dark. She was confused when she heard the voice but that only caused her senses to perk even more. Hazel is in fact on edge and has a horrible feeling bubbling in the pit of her stomach.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here boys. We got ourselves a couple of very attractive female FairyTail mages. No reason to hide girlies, why don't you come out and have a little fun with us." The voice replied in a mischievous manner and with a grin that neither Hazel or Lucy could see in this darkness.

Hazel instantly grew nervous when the voice mentioned their guild name and had to wonder if they only knew from their mark being exposed. "Hey Lucy, do you have your guild mark in plain sight?" Hazel asked as she glanced over at the shocked girl just ten feet away from her.

"No, they won't be able to see it from the angle I'm in."

Then Lucy heard a growl and it came from Hazel. She did not like the sound of that growl and Lucy had to suspect that something is about to happen that neither expected. "Then we have ourselves a problem."

"Huh, what's that?" Lucy is now nervous because she knew exactly what response she is about to get from Hazel.

"We've been compromised."

Crap! Lucy thought to herself then immediately stood from her spot and prepared herself to fight the mages. She took a stance and held a hand at her hip, ready to call out Taurus if the mages made a move. Hazel saw her take that stance, but she immediately followed only to engage in battle with them before they decided to attack. They were near the shop and Hazel would hate it if any of the attacks strayed from their target and smashed into the side of the building. She doesn't need to have any property damage and have it taken out of their reward. That was one of the things she feared while coming into this mission and that's why she was so hesitant. She likes to deal with missions that doesn't involve putting harm onto the innocent and their possessions. She's willing take down dark mages or infiltrate an enemy's hideout and ambush them, but not guard a precious magic shop that could explode because of these mages hidden potential or from the magic smoke bombs that are inside. Nice mix, huh?

Hazel analyzed her opponent through the spectacle of her glasses then thought of a way to draw the mages away from the building. She adjusted her glasses momentarily then turned her gaze to Lucy that stood beside her.

"Lucy, I need to borrow your whip. I have a plan to get these idiots away from shop so they don't cause any property damage. We don't need to cause any damage while fighting these mages."

"I didn't think about that, yeah you can borrow it but don't lose it. I need it as well, you know."

"Don't worry, Luce. This is only a one time use, you will get it back in no time."

"I hope you know what you're doing. These guys look tough."

"Don't worry about me, girlie. I have a few tricks up my sleeve, so if anything doesn't go the way I plan then there is always a plan-b. Now let me handle these buffoons and get them away from the shop. Once I do that, regroup with Natsu and Gray and come find me."

"Where will you be?"

"Just follow my magic energy."

"What are you planning over there, sweetie? I would actually like to warn you that you shouldn't take us lightly." The one mage sneered as he glared at Hazel.

"I wouldn't dream of taking on a couple of mages like you without knowing what I'm getting myself into. I know you're no ordinary mages, in fact, you're dark mages and you're magic energy is undoubtably strong. Taking you lightly just wouldn't feel right to me, because I put my all when I fight."

"Well, that's good to know. We might have a decent fight then. So bring it, Turnip Green!"

Hazel didn't particularly care for that name coming from the enemy but charged into battle despite missing the name escaping Gajeel's mouth. She only allows him to call her that and it hit home for her. She may not know a lot about Lucy's boyfriend, but she is fond of him and has that tremendous respect towards him. So, being referred by that name from the enemy made her angry. She went in for a frontal attack towards them and was about to wrap that thin leather strip around the group when the ring-leader sent an attack at her. Hazel dodged it effortlessly then jumped upwards and planted a large kick to the cranium of the guy.

He wasn't expecting that but attempted his own counter when that thin strip of leather wrapped around his arm and is flung to the ground. He yelped in surprise then landed hard on the dirt road facing up, a little stunned but amused to say the least. Hazel stood just feet away from him with Lucy's whip in her hands and a determined glare in her eye. She could tell that he is hiding his magic from her and she feels that he is just getting her riled up for a good fight. She glares at the man with curiosity where he plastered a knowing grin on his face. He knows something about her and quiet frankly, she didn't like the look in his eye when he grinned like that. With that leather strip still around his arm, Hazel roughly pulled the line and used a lot of her strength to have him soar behind her with a yell of surprise.

He was only feet away when Hazel launched herself at him and kicked him roughly in the stomach where she heard him wheeze in pain. Hazel then momentarily summersault in the air and planted the back of her left heel into his head. He went falling to the ground but was quickly retracted back from the whip and got a fist to the jaw. With another twist, Hazel kicked up her leg again and sent the mage to the ground with a heap. The mage roughly landed on the ground with the wind knocked out of him and a good distance away from the shop. Although Hazel thought that he wasn't far enough to inflict damage. She went barreling after him again with punches landing on the mages gut and face, but the mage didn't seem that all affected by them. She landed one last kick to his gut that sent the mage to the ground then laid motionless for a moment until his two goons came to his side. Hazel watched them for a moment as the leader slowly stood on his feet and glared over at her.

"You pack quiet a punch there, miss. But I think you need to work on your delivery, its weak."

"Excuse me!"

"Hazel!" she heard someone from behind yell over at her then came along side her with a look of determination and anger. She looked over her shoulder a moment to see Gray and Natsu on either side of her, ready to pounce on the mage if he ever made a move.

"What the hell happened to the plan we had? I thought we had it all planned out perfectly." Gray started as he eyed the tall mage that was the leader.

"We got compromised. Somehow this guy knew we were FairyTail mages, I had to lure him out here so we didn't cause any property damage before he attacked. There's something off about this guy, and I can't tell what that is without getting dirty."

"Dirty? You mean, take over the mission?" Natsu sneered.

"No, this is not dire. I have to continue fighting with this guy to get a good idea what his magic is. As far as those two idiots of his, I haven't seen them do anything. It's almost like they are waiting for him to give them instructions." Hazel explained as she continued to eye the leader mage and the two morons beside him.

"I don't care if they are waiting or not, I'm all fired up!" Natsu replied happily then jumped into battle with the leader while the other two remained stationary.

"Natsu, you idiot! We don't know what this guy is capable of and you are just jumping in like its nothing. We need a new strategy!" Hazel yelled impatiently.

"Right now, Hazel, he doesn't care. He just wants to fight, if you want to continue analyzing what this guys magic is then by all means do that. But we have to apprehend them before they do anymore terrorizing to Mr. Barret's shop. Be on guard if things get hairy." Gray replied then charged into battle as well, taking the two mages that have been standing there.

Hazel glared at the two strong mages of FairyTail with confusion. She doesn't understand why they would just do this without thinking properly which she had to wonder how this team would even work with two mages like Gray and Natsu with an over observant individual like her. Hazel knows that Lucy is smart when she's on the battle field but for Hazel, she has a very different approach. She watched as fire and ice danced around the empty lot near the shop, determining when and where she should step in to find out what the leaders magic is. Hazel stepped over to Lucy's side to hand her the whip that she borrowed, but kept her eyes on the two mages going all out on the leader. She can see that the leader is dodging all of their attacks which made Hazel wonder if she finally figured out what that magic is.

"Hey Lucy, can you tell what the mage's magic is from this distance?"

"Not entirely, but I get the feeling that Natsu may have encountered another mage with the guy's ability but its hard to tell. As far as those two, I can't determine what they have. It's odd, its almost like they are keeping their true magic under the radar until they think its necessary."

"Then it's time for me to get back in the picture. I'm going to find out what their magic is, be prepared to give me some back-up, Luce."

"You got it." Lucy replied as she held onto one of her keys with a look of determination, ready to summon the spirit when the time came.

Hazel quickly charged back onto the battle field with the intention in uncovering the mages' magic, she eyed one of the other two mages that Gray was trying to take down then came up from behind to land a kick to their head. However, her kick was quickly blocked and she was tossed to the ground, but Hazel gracefully regained her footing and landed on the ground where she sprung forward. She took aim at the mage's sternum but something happened rather quickly that she nor anybody else would have imagined. Natsu was not too far away from Hazel and Gray and sent a whirlwind of fire at the leader, Natsu's attack was deflected back so abruptly that it nearly engulfed Hazel and Gray. They had to quickly dodge the flames then over to the sidelines to reassess the situation.

"Did you see that, Gray?" Hazel asked as she eyed the mage that her and Gray were facing.

"Yeah, Natsu's attack was deflected but it almost seemed like it was absorbed. What do you think that means?"

"It can only mean one thing, but I need to be sure that is what I thought it was. First, let's deal with tubby behind us." Hazel replied as she felt the one mage they were facing towering over them. She turned on her heel to throw a punch as him but Hazel stopped in her tracks when an unsettling and grinding screech erupted in the lot. Hazel along with the others had to cover their ears from the horrible sound, but that helped Hazel figure out what this one mage's magic is. 'Dammit, a sound mage!' Hazel thought but still pushed forward to land a kick to the large mage's gut.

However, her goal was cut short when the sound mage suddenly morphed an arm into a gorilla arm and slammed into Hazel's sternum. She gasped from the impact then flew backwards towards Lucy, but stopped just feet away from her. Hazel laid on the ground groaning from the rough hit but she had to sit up some when she heard a commotion not too far from her. She watched on as Gray and Natsu fought with the three mages that have engaged fully in battle and are throwing the two strongest mages through a loop. Hazel looked over at the sound mage for a moment to still see the gorilla arm in use.

"What the hell? I thought the Strauss Siblings were the only take-over mages. So how the hell can this freak have to two magic powers?"

"That is an odd phenomena, but you can't just sit here and watch, Hazel. Can you try to help them out more?" Lucy asked in shock.

"Of course I can, but I'm going to need some back-up." Hazel replied then rushed back into the fight. Hazel eyed the center of the battle field with determination but as she got a little closer, she heard Lucy summon one of her spirits. Then momentarily felt their presence along her left side. Obviously, Lucy asked them to assist her because she can sense a wild smile on their face and couldn't help but let a wide smile spread on hers. She looked over at the spirit and was glad to see a close-range spirit like herself.

"It's a pleasure to be working alongside one of my princess' friends. You're quiet a looker, miss." They replied as they eyed Hazel with a charming smile.

"I'm flattered, Leo. But now is not the time to be flirting, we have a job to do. So stay focused, playboy." Hazel replied with a grin on her face.

Loke, gave Hazel a pleased grin then followed her to surprise the leader mage of the group. Both Hazel and Loke prepared themselves to throw some powerful punches to the man's chest but they were instantly countered and went off to the side to try it again. Loke's fists glowed magnificently with his power as he neared the man again but he was thrown off guard when he was tossed back along with Hazel. She actually came short from landing a punch herself and was blasted backwards but was prevented from crashing into the zodiac leader when Loke grabbed her at those shoulders.

Both are pissed that things are not going their way, but this only opened Hazel's eye to finally realize what the guy's magic is. "Son-of-a-bitch, now I know why we can't get close to him." Hazel replied as she watched as Natsu was about to deliver a fiery punch to the mage. "Natsu, stop!" Hazel yelled only to be disregarded and Natsu was flung backwards with his feet digging into the ground.

"Natsu! Will you hold a minute?" Hazel yelled again.

"Can't you see, I'm busy here!" He snapped as he tried another fiery punch.

"I know you're busy, flame brain! You need to stop what you're doing and stop thinking for once!"

Natsu didn't hear her, he threw another punch at the mage but it quickly reverted in his direction. He avoided it then was stopped from Gray from furthering.

"You might want to listen to, Hazel, Natsu. She must have just figured out what this guys magic is."

"If you two weren't flinging your attacks around like it was nothing, you could have realized for yourselves that this guy can read our moves! He's a mind-reader mage!"

"Ah! I should have known, I dealt with your kind more then once." Natsu yelled out of frustration and was about to jump back into battle when Hazel spoke again but she spoke in realization at the three dark mages.

"I knew there was something off about you three! Not only are you dark magic mages, but you bare no sign that you belong to an actual guild. So that just makes you rogue mages!" Hazel snapped as she pointed at the three mages that have smug smiles on their faces. She knew that there was something about them and Hazel only now just discovered why they felt powerful.

"Well, you'r pretty observant maybe even smarter then I what I had anticipated. What tipped you off, Turnip Green?" The leader asked towards Hazel.

"It's your wavelengths, everyone has one and yours are corrupted. Not only are they corrupted and out of sync with your magic, but they are seeping with sin that you unmercifully performed over the years. You're all criminals!" She spat as she saw the leaders eyes changed from smug to this evil and all-knowing glare that Hazel knew all too well. She has seen that glare from her father one too many times and it flooded images back into her head from when she was young. 'Don't think about it, Hazel! Get it all out of your head!' She yelled at herself.

"Very smart indeed, and so what if we are rogue mages. We have been on the run for a long time and we don't plan on getting caught by a hot-head, an ice-stripper, a cheerleader and a smart-ass freak like you."

Hazel instantly grew irritated at the mage for labeling her such things but her anger is subdued a little by a pissed-off Loke, who remained to stand by her side. That comforting hand that is on her shoulder, calmed her down slightly but she is ready to get back into battle and put it to an end. But Hazel had to wonder how they could get around this guy without her resulting to her true magic powers. She could use the magic she was born with and try to subdue the idiots before things got dire for her. Then she thought of something and it would acquire a devoted companion that is beside her.

"Hey Leo, I need your help in taking out the sound and take-over mage over there. If we can take out that moron and the other guy then we would have a better chance in subduing this asshole. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan to me. I do have to admit though, we are a lot alike when it comes to battle and I love that fiery determination in you, sweetheart."

"Is this one of your cheesy pick-up lines for picking up a girl, Leo? If so, you need a little more work in trying to woo me because I don't fall for that crap easily, but nice try nonetheless." Hazel replied with a smile towards the wild ginger-haired man.

"I guess it was worth a shot. Are we ready to tag team, again?" Loke smiled with his finger adjusted his blue tinted glasses.

"Let's." Hazel replied as she mirrored Loke's action of adjusting her glasses then they both charged back into battle.

* * *

Well, another chapter done! Sorry that I had to end it here but it this chapter would have been very lengthy if I had let myself continue. The fight is going to continue on into the next chapter and some more info on Hazel's father will be revealed in the next chapter and her magic. Have any ideas of what Hazel's zodiac sign is, yet? Don't forget to review! Chow for now! And thanks for your continuous support :)


	6. Team Effort

Hey guys, it's a double update today which will give me more time to work on chapter 7, even though I have already started on it. This picks up right where we left off with Loke and Hazel battling it out with the sound mage. Hope you all enjoy the read, its yet another lengthy chapter. Don't forget to R&R! Thanks a bunch :)

* * *

The battle between the dark mages continued to rage on with Natsu trying his damnest to defeat the leader, while Gray fought with the mage whose magic still hasn't been identified and Hazel and Loke charged at the sound and take-over mage. The two tagged teamed against the mage with fist blazing and powerful swings of their legs just to get the man down on his knees. Hazel has delivered countless punches to the thick and flabby mage but some of her punches were useless when the gorilla arm blocked her fists more then once. She skidded across the grass for only a second then lunged back in to try deliver a massive kick to the fat mage's back. Not once as she broke a sweat but she is beginning tire from using excessive amounts of magic energy to defeat the mage. The guy is strong and she is not sure if she will be able to defeat him, but of course she does have Loke in her corner and has been a tremendous help. Their tactics are just the same and their determination is unimaginable, they are very well matched. She has watched Loke from the corner of her eyes a couple of times and couldn't help but feel a certain spark dragging her towards him. Its a spark that made Hazel up her game and fight just as hard as the celestial spirit and leader of the twelve zodiac. She came to his side where they both charged dead center and finally landed a massive punch to the fat mage.

He was knocked backwards from the two powerful punches to the gut then was promptly knocked off his feet from Hazel's agile yet swift leg. Both Loke and Hazel towered over the mage with fist clenched and drove the man into the ground from their massive punches to the man's face, rendering him motionless. KO-ed. The dark mage laid motionless at Loke and Hazel's feet, feeling accomplished for bringing down the mage together as a team. Loke looked over at the barely exhausted Hazel with admiration in his eyes, pleased to have someone of equal strength as a partner, well teammate in this case. He loves that strength in her and the sheer determination to get the job done, something that both have in common.

"You have quiet an arm, miss. I'm astonished at how strong you are. It's almost like you have the same strength as that fire-breather over there, maybe even close to mine, sweetheart."

"Ha, don't flatter yourself too much, my dear lion. I can tell you're stronger then me and it doesn't bother me that you are. Although, I'm nowhere near as strong as the fire dragon slayer unless I use my secret form of magic."

"And what kind magic is that, cutie?" Loke asked as he gave her a soft smile.

"It's a secret. Plus I only use it when it becomes dire and this is not exactly a dire situation. If something happens to those two which I doubt, then I will have no choice but to take out my fury on the person that put harm onto them."

"Sounds like you gained the FairyTail fighting spirit, miss."

"Please, Leo, call me Hazel."

"Only if you call me, Loke for now on."

While the two exchanged words after taking down one of the mages, Lucy had summoned Virgo to tie the mage up and drag him over to Lucy's side to keep an eye on him while waiting to jump in when it was necessary. At the same time though, Gray is struggling to bring down the one mage whose magic hasn't been identified yet. He used countless attacks on the guy and is about to revert to using his secret ice magic on him when something started pulling at him. Not his body per se, more like his magic is being pulled away from him. As he fought with the unknown magic mage, something in the mage's hand started to draw out Gray's magic energy and is draining him. This shocked Gray that he attempted to draw back but his legs failed him to move. He is stuck in his spot and is losing his energy.

From afar, Hazel saw Gray in trouble and it sparked something in her to act quickly. She didn't like the sight of Gray's magic being sucked out of him and it alarmed Loke greatly. Hazel who stood by his side the whole time went running to Gray's side with an angered expression on her face. She's pissed and is going to wreck havoc on the creep for taking her friend's magic. Once she came close, her body twisted in the air and landed a powerful yet bone-shattering kick to the mage's jaw. Hazel heard the mage's jaw crack and pop out of its socket because it was such a powerful kick, but it is also the fact that she is pissed off. Her feet landed on the ground next to Gray, watched the mage stumble away from her briefly then turned her attention to Gray.

"Gray, you alright?" She asked as she stooped down to his hunched form.

"Yeah, thanks. What the hell was that?"

"It appears that this mage sucks magic energy out of mages which is something that I detest to. If I hadn't caught that sooner, you would have been dead weight and we don't need that for this team. I want you to regain some of your energy while I take care of this asshole for a moment then you can assist me in bringing him down." Hazel explained as the magic draining mage turned back to her.

"You are not doing this alone, Hazel. Let me help you."

"You will help me when you regain some of your energy, you can barely stand right now. I'll by you some time to get back on your feet then you can help me. I wouldn't want my teammate to be in this condition while fighting alongside me."

"Why can't you accept the fact that I can still fight. This is a team effort you know."

"I know that, Gray! Just let me handle him while you get back on your feet and able to fight at a hundred percent! You're almost there just by taking a quick breather, now let me kick this guys ass for stealing your magic!" Hazel snapped then jumped at the mage that was about to deliver a punch to the recovering Gray.

Hazel landed a hard punch to the hanging jaw then smashed a knuckle down on his forehead, causing a trickle of blood to run down his nose. The mage was not exactly happy about that and tried to use its magic sucker jar to steal her energy. Hazel immediately avoided the air to zip behind the mage and rounded a kick to his back but got a surprise when her leg was caught by a wandering hand. This caught her off guard but not as much when she is lifted off the ground and thrown over the mages shoulder onto the hard ground with a grunt. She laid there for a moment when she noticed the mage was about to stomp on her but she quickly back-flipped out of the way and went around hi again to punch the mage in the ribs. It didn't do much, but he tried to grab her but she avoided his hand and slid towards his right to elbow his hanging jaw. As her elbow hit him, his left hand instantly grabbed at her and swung her to the ground again. Before the mage could let go, Hazel kicked up a leg at his sternum and another bone-shattering kick That air sucking jar nearly aligned with her body when a sheet of ice blocked its path and a stap of her heel into his face. She is not going to let this mage overwhelm her with his strength and endurance, she wanted to bring this guy down.

She jerked her arm out of the mage's hand and attempted to slam him backwards onto the ground when he grabbed her by the neck and tossed her down. She hit the ground roughly and attempted to throw herself aside to avoid an attack but her body froze. Hazel can feel her magic being drained by mage and wasn't a good feeling. But as she felt the first pull of her magic, an ice shield appeared in front of her, breaking the contact. No sooner did the ice form, a kick made the ice crack and then broke. Hazel quickly jumped out of the way of when she saw an incoming foot from the mage and skirted to the side to stand by Gray.

"Thanks, Gray. You feeling better now?" She asked as she turned her gaze to him.

"Yep, thanks for giving me a little time to recover. Now can we take this guy out together?"

"I planned on that. How should we do this though, you take the lead and I follow? Or I take the lead and you follow?"

"Just do what you can to distract him so I could freeze his arms so you can land the finishing blow. I'll keep you covered. "

"Got it!" Hazel replied then jumped forward. She darted around the mage while icicles surrounded her, penetrating the mage some but not to the degree they were hoping for. Hazel immediately took to the right and rounded around the mage to plant a vicious kick to the ribs. The mage didn't even let a yelp escape their lips but he caught her leg again and attempted to throw her off her feet again but she countered and jumped out of its grasp. Just as she flung herself away, an ice pillar squared the mage's shoulder and froze his left arm. Now that the mage is rendered to just one arm and had it full with its magic sucking jar, it gave the pair more of an advantage to apprehend the mage for good. The mage tried to swing its right arm to knock Hazel away that came at him from behind but ended up getting his arm caught by Hazel wrapping herself around his arm and knocked the jar to the ground.

She sprung back to land on her feet then charged at the mage with Gray just behind her to give her some more speed. Her feet hit a sheet of ice which it did in fact gave her more speed and that is when she noticed Gray coming with an ice fist aiming at the mage. Both Hazel and Gray's punches targeted different parts of the body with great success. Gray's frozen fist collided into the mage's arm that rendered it motionless then Hazel's monstrous speed of a punch collided against its face to knock him out for good.

The mage fell backwards unconscious just several feet away from his jar. Once the mage was defeated Hazel quickly stomped on the ceramic jar to break it from being used again and that's when she noticed some magic residue escape from the jar to float in the air. The magic that was taken from Gray absorbed back in his skin which boasted his energy level. After the jar was broken, both Hazel and Gray exchanged a brief glare of relief. They had just taken down the remaining side-kick and it felt like a great accomplishment to them both.

"Way to go, Hazel. That was great teamwork."

"I got to hand it to you, I usually like to work alone but it seems my team-orientated side is starting to show just from being here. Now that we have taken out the two mages thanks to some much need teamwork, we can now revert our focus to the ring-leader."

"Yeah, that plan worked out perfectly for us but how can we defeat this guy when he can read our every move and attack."

"And our minds for that matter. Go assist Natsu while I try to come up with a strategy to take out this creep. I'm also going to check in on Lucy and see how she's doing. I'm going to ask her to prepare herself to fight alongside us when we need her."

"Good idea." Gray replied then went running to Natsu's side who is beginning to lose his patience. Hazel turned her attention to Lucy who now has two unconscious forms behind her where her spirit Virgo kept a close eye on the lumps. Hazel also noticed that Loke is no longer present on the battle field which disappointed her somewhat. She wanted to thank the spirit for assisting her but she guessed she had to wait. Hazel walked over to Lucy's side then assessed the situation from the sidelines.

"You make a great addition to this team, Hazel. You worked well with Loke and did an amazing job with Gray. I knew I wouldn't regret having you here."

"I'm glad that I took the job because I feared that something horrible was going to go wrong if I didn't. I mean, I'm sure you guys would have been able to handle it on your own, but my critical thinking is a great benefit. How you holding up?"

"I'm fine, Loke wanted to say thank you for teaming up with him to take out that sound and take-over mage, he had a lot of fun fighting alongside you."

"Shoot, I had a blast with him in my corner. He may be a playboy, but he sure is a capable fighter to work alongside with. I wanted to thank him for assisting me, but if I wasn't distracted by that damn mage, I would have had my chance."

"He understood the situation so he doesn't mind. How we going to go about in taking out the leader, Hazel?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out, but I think its useless for me to think of anything since he does read minds. However, I do believe it is time for me to shake things up a little bit. Continue to be at the ready, Luce, we may need you soon. Thanks Virgo for keeping an eye on those morons for us. You've been a great help." Hazel replied as she averted her eyes to the pink haired maid.

"Thank you and your welcome, ma'am, anything for my hime."

"Good to hear, keep up the good work." Hazel replied then jumped into the battlefield again, not even caring if she doesn't have a plan in mind. She knew it would be useless to think of a plan since the mage can sense their moves and read their minds, so Hazel just had to wing it and that's something she is good at. She came up from behind Natsu and helped block an incoming attack that was intended for the enemy. Her quick thinking caused Natsu to jump sideways and glare over at her.

"About time you joined in. What was taking you so long?"

"Watch it, Salamander. If you haven't noticed, Lucy, has been keeping her distance from our fights and is keeping a good eye on the unconscious forms of this asshole's friends. So don't give me that, 'what was taking you so long' shit." Hazel snapped.

"Whatever. Do you have any plans in mind to take this guy out?"

"Even if I did, it would just be useless. If anything, you should shut your mind off and not think about what your moves are going to be."

"What was that?" Natsu yelled.

"Keep your mind clear from your thoughts, you idiot! We just have to wing it! Or maybe, you should just be following my lead!"

"WHAT! Why should I follow your lead? You are not taking over my mission, Witchbane!"

"Did I say anything about taking over your stupid mission, you dumb pile of ash? And don't fling my name around so willy-nilly, you jackass! If you want to take this guy out the right way then follow my lead! That's way it's called winging it, you moron!"

As Hazel and Natsu argued amongst themselves, the leader targeted the two without their knowing and sent an attack barreling down on them. Hazel was the only one to notice and had to kick Natsu out of the way before he got himself caught in it. He hit the ground with a soft 'umph' where he made an angered glare at Hazel whereas she stood at the ready for another attack. Hazel watched the mage target her then darted out from behind him to rush alongside and aimed at an opening near his leg. To her surprise though, when she got closer something came slithering out from behind the male and aimed at her face. She was quick to realize that what came charging at her was a large, red and black snake with its jaws hinged open to snap at her. She shivered from the sight of it but quickly slid to a stop to avoid the snakes open mouth. Just as it cleared her head and rounded back around, it coiled around Hazel's waist and slugged her off her feet onto the hard ground. She landed with a grunt but immediately sat up to see the snake eyeing her hungrily.

Hazel shivered from head to toe from the sight of thing then got a little squeamish. "Keep that thing away from me!" Hazel snapped as the snake started to rear back towards her.

"Oh, I see you hate snakes. I should have introduced you to him a lot sooner then." The leader replied with a sneer.

"SHUT UP! They creep me out that's all there is to it, you jackass!"

"Pity, I was hoping to do something else to you but I think having my pet keep you at bay is better. Maybe he can inject his poison into you."

"Go ahead and try it, you jerk! She'll just chop it into pieces like I'm going to do to you!" Natsu yelled then went charging after the snake lover and nearly landed a punch on him.

The snake that coiled around its masters legs, quickly slithered at Hazel at lightening speed and nearly clamped its fangs into her arm if she hadn't moved. She darted past the snake to try to get close to the mage but that snake quickly came charging at her again. She moved past it and slid away to figure out something to avoid this sickening reptile. Her thinking though is not quick enough when the snake launched at her again and is about to clamp its fangs on her left shoulder when a sudden blinding light escaped from the emerald gem on her shoulder. The snake quickly slithered away from her and back to its master, cowering from the massive power that emitted from her gem. Hazel is confused by this but didn't linger on her confusion very long to resume her fight with the mage. She tried not to think about it but it seemed her thoughts kept going back to Adaminna who had given this gem to her as a gift.

'Why would it react like that? Does this mean I can use my gift without regretting it?' Hazel thought to herself then eyed the mage again and made her decision.

She didn't have to think about it. Hazel reared around the mage over to Gray's side and instructed him to give her some speed. He agreed but had to wonder what she was up to. Hazel then looked in Natsu's direction and shouted for him to lend her a hand. He immediately accepted her instructions to help her when he saw a look in her eye that convinced that she knew what she was doing. Natsu watched as Gray came up from behind her and created an ice slide to draw her closer to the mage and that is when Natsu prepared to let out his fire dragon's roar. Just as Hazel got closer, she summoned her magic finally that encircled her in a bright, blinding green light. She pulled an arm back and shouted, "Earth Make Hollow Fist!" A hollow tree log appeared from her arm then the log erupted in flames thanks to Natsu's roar. Hazel made a loud battle cry then with that tremendous speed from Gray's ice slide, her solid wood fist that is engulfed with Natsu's flames collided into the mage at a deafening and audible smack.

The spot where the mage stood is now vacant and a large light soared to a tree that sat forty yards away. They all watched as the mages' body hit the tree with a loud crack then silence ensued the empty lot. Hazel landed back on the ground with her fist back to normal and eyed the spot where the mage laid.

"Did I get him?" She asked out loud as Gray and Natsu approached her from behind with awe. They didn't get to see her use magic before so they are very intrigued with her magic now. Actually they don't think there was anyone else that had earth magic other then the ones they meet over the years. Of course Virgo uses earth magic, along with Sol from the Element Four, even Hoteye and there was Everlue and Karacka. So for Hazel to have earth magic is pretty cool to them.

"I hope so. I didn't know you had earth magic, that's pretty neat!" Natsu replied with a grin.

"It's very neat but she has a certain power that aids her in such magic!" a voice erupted.

Both Natsu and Gray along with Hazel looked over where they heard the voice and realized that the enemy was not down. This shocked them beyond belief but Hazel felt a shiver of dread overwhelm her as she watched as the mage stood to his feet with an implement that she recognized all to well. This scared her and wasn't sure what to do now that she realized what is happening to her. She can feel herself getting weak and unable to move her muscles which is not caused from the fear that is bubbling in her veins. She eyed the mage with wide, scared eyes waiting for him to explain himself and where he got that implement.

"That girl may have earth magic but she has a power that everyone wants to grow in strength and power! She has the most rarest form of magic alive! Taking any amount of magic from her can render her weak which is only fitting for the goal I have." the mage yelled then fired something at Hazel that she could not escape yet alone have Natsu or Gray rescue her. It was too fast for them to react properly and it plowed right into Hazel at a tremendous force. She is thrown backwards several yards with a loud grunt then hits the solid ground painfully. A high pitched gasp escaped her lips from landing so harshly then started coughing from having the wind knocked out of her. It was such a hard hit that Hazel struggled to get back on her feet but it also didn't help when she was shaking from head to toe. She trembled from the thought of this guy taking away her magic and he has every intention of doing that. Hazel remembers what it feels like when your magic energy is being drained from your very being and she doesn't want to go through with it again.

When she managed to sit up, the mage came barreling at her at a surprising speed but his path was blocked when a large axe crashed down in front of him. This caught the mage off guard but his attention quickly went to the being that interrupted him and that was Lucy's spirit Taurus who blocked the mage's path. Hazel is pleased that Lucy decided to jump in to protect her but it is also buying her some time to recover from that hit and resume fighting alongside Natsu and Gray. She watched them and Taurus use brute strength to try to bring the dark mage down and Lucy's Fleuve d'étoiles is helping quiet a bit to keep him in place. However, the mage still had its snake to deflect some of the attacks along with his mind-reading magic to avoid some of the attacks. The sight of the three fighting together to bring this guy down gave her enough strength to stand back on her feet but stood still to eye the man before her.

She knew that something has to be done and she has the perfect solution but Hazel is not one to result to this attack only because she uses it as a last resort. In this case, the attack needs to be used in order to subdue the dark mages' constant persistence. Hazel breathed a heavy sigh then shut her eyes to concentrate on her magic. Her hands are in front of her chest, forming a triangle with her thumb and index finger then that bright, blinding green light of her magic circle sprung from behind her. It circled around her as if it were a pin-wheel, surging her earth powers through her palms. The next second, her hands dropped where her right hand gripped her belt and snapped it off with ease. Her lavender leather belt hung at her side with her eyes now open and are filled with determination. The metal plates that are on her belt suddenly started glowing a lime-green and the emerald gem changed its color to a bright blue. Hazel drew the belt over her head, twirling it around like a weightless feather.

"Earth Magic Secret Art," Hazel started as those metal plates formed into wooden petals and a large iron ball sprung from the center. Her attack looked like a large flower but it was made out of wood and iron. Her magic attack created a large magical energy that caused the trio to pause and look over their shoulders at Hazel. They are astonished to see such an attack from her but they had to quickly back away when the large flower stopped abruptly and grew twice its size. "Iron Log Lotus!"

That enormous wood and iron flower is flung away from her as if it were a frisbee and moved at lightening speed that not the dark mage could avoid or deflect it. The attack struck him hard in the sternum with the wood wrapping around his body and the iron ball crashing into his stomach. The impact knocked the wind out of him for the most part before the iron soon went into liquid form and encased the mage in a wood and iron prison. His whole body collapsed on the ground in a loud crashing thud, now rendered powerless. When the mage recovered from the hit and tried to stand, it took him a moment to realize what happened and started yelling. He struggled to get out but all it did was have him roll around like a log. His chance of escape failed miserably in which he cursed to no one in particular.

Once he realized his position, the mage didn't have a problem in getting his snake to finish the job for him. The snake slithered past the trio and was aiming at Hazel who collapsed for a moment, but Taurus' axe fell on it and cut the thing in half. With the mages snake dead in front who expressed no remorse in losing his companion is left to accept defeat to end the battle between the dark mages and Team Natsu.

Hazel recovered from her last attacked then walked back to the trio who were wrapping things up with the dark mage and the now stirring side-kicks. She stopped at Natsu's side and stared down at the dark mages with an unreadable glare. Hazel had to wonder where the mages received those magic implements and she wanted to ask the ringleader about it if Natsu, Gray and Lucy weren't there to listen.

"Well, we just finished up this job with no problems and without any property damage caused by Natsu. That's surprising and poor Natsu here didn't get to finish him off with his fire dragon roar." Gray mentioned from beside Lucy.

"Yeah, it just had to be Hazel to finish the guy off. Why didn't you let me finish this creep off, Hazel? I could have done it, you know." Natsu asked with a disappointed glare.

"I know you are capable of ending the fight for us but I had my reasons to finish it quickly, Natsu. So, I apologize that you didn't get to land the finishing blow, but he had to be captured one way or another. I actually hate that I had to result to that attack but it was the only option I had that could bring this fool down once and for all."

"It did capture him so that is a good thing and I would have to admit that attack was pretty nifty. It had to have taken a while to master such a technique."

"My trainer would have been proud that I finally mastered that technique. Before anything else happens, there is something I need answered from this cretin." Hazel replied as she shot daggers at the dark mage.

"How about we hand them over to the authorities first before we get any answers?" Gray butted in quickly, noticing the anger building in her voice.

"My question does not concern this mission, Gray. This is something I need to know on a more personal level and I better get a damn good explanation. Otherwise he won't be going to the authorities but the morgue." Hazel snarled angrily still eyeing the mage.

"Hazel calm down, will you?"

"I'm not going to calm down," Hazel started then stooped low to pick up the implement that the mage had in his hands before he went down. "You better start talking, asshole. Where did you get this? And don't even think about lying because I will know when you're lying to me. Now answer me!" Hazel yelled as she held the item in her hand with a furious glare.

The mage was silent for a moment but he eventually responded back with the answer that Hazel wanted but it caused confusion between the trio. "If you really want to know where I got that thing, then I'll tell you but you may not like it. We have learned that there was an instrument that could steal any form magic from mages so me and my partner got us a few. There are rumors that the Witchbane Monster created these instruments, obviously he had them in mind for someone in particular. And from what I understand from another rumor I heard that the Witchbane's tortured slave trade went out of business about a year ago and he had to result to something to gain income. I do have to warn you since you are the Witchbane Monster's daughter that you might want to stay on alert from now on. There are a lot of rogue mages out there looking for you and want that magic you possess. I'm not lying about this, because I would have loved to have that power but I can see that you are very protective of it. I have no doubt in mind that your friends here don't even know what your real magic is. Do they?"

Hazel couldn't say anything afterwards. She is left furious but there is another emotion that the mage could read easily and he didn't need his mind-reading abilities to know that Hazel is terrified from hearing this. As the person that brought him down, he couldn't help but feel a little sympathy that her father put this fear in her. He might him only once and he knew it was a barbaric thing to do to your own child but he didn't care at the time. When he first received the instrument, he could have grown his magic with the help from Hazel's hidden potential; however, he lost his chance.

The trio watched Hazel for a moment when she learned what she needed then saw her walk away from them with furious tears running down her face. "Why can't that man just leave me the hell alone?" Hazel shouted as she headed towards the road, needing to get away from the trio to calm down. Which they had no problem with her needing some space after what she was told from the mage but it caused Natsu to let out a frustrated burst in him and hit the mage with a fiery fist. Lucy and Gray yelled at Natsu for hitting the mage when they already had him captured but it didn't stop him from yelling at the unconscious mage.

"He made her cry, dammit! No one makes Hazel cry!" Natsu yelled furiously which his voice echoed along the road that Hazel could hear then he went tearing after her to try to give her some comfort after such news.

Lucy and Gray only watched Natsu for a moment with confusion but they could tell that he only intends to help Hazel. It just proved to them that he didn't care if Hazel wasn't fond of him just yet. After this though, they would be on better terms.

* * *

Well, there goes yet another chapter. I already started working on the next chapter so that will be posted sometime this week or the next. I plan on having one more chapter for this, but I haven't decided yet. Let me know what you all think and don't forget to review. Thanks again, chow! :)


	7. On Better Terms

Hey everyone, sorry for the late update. I took a short break from writing to spend some time with family. You won't see any GaLu in this chapter either, but it will pick back up towards the end of the next chapter and into chapter 9 and 10. Sorry for another lengthy chapter, the next chapter will be the same. Cana will be coming into this chapter a little later and may be OOC, but not a whole lot. Hope you enjoy the read though and don't forget to review. Thanks a bunch :)

* * *

As morning dawned on the duo, both Natsu and Hazel returned from a long nights stroll after the battle between the dark mages. Lucy and Gray saw the two walking side by side with their eyes ahead of them, but they were talking normally. Both of them can sense that there is a better understanding between the two and a new relationship beginning to bloom. It wasn't hard for Lucy to determine that they got close while they spoke last night and she felt that Hazel is gaining a new family within FairyTail which she very much needs. Lucy's happy that her friend is gaining new respect from Natsu, even Gray and that they can count on Hazel for any kind of mission they take. It's a wonderful conclusion after all the mess last night. When the two approached Lucy and Gray, the shop owner, Mr. Barret and his granddaughter, Carmela, appeared with Rune Knights at their heels.

Hazel noticed the large group of knights and felt a little uneasy at the sight of them but she knew that they were there to take the dark mages back to Era to await their sentencing. Mr. Barret stopped in front of the dark mages with hatred towards them but Hazel could see a glisten in his eyes when he eyed the leader. Then something clicked in her mind.

"I am so glad that you four managed to apprehend the mages for me. I appreciate all your hard work. Your reward will be graciously awarded once I find out why these men have terrorized my shop." Mr. Barret started.

"I think I can answer that for you, Mr. Barret," Hazel started as she stepped forward and eyed the leader for a moment then back at the owner. She can see a strong resemblance in the two which only confirmed her suspicions from the beginning. "They only terrorized the shop because Carmela is this man's daughter that he never met. Am I correct?"

Natsu, Gray and Lucy are confused but Mr. Barret only glared at her in astonishment.

"How did you know?" Mr. Barret asked as he glared at his son.

"You and your son look a lot alike. If you had told us from the beginning that your son was coming to your shop to see his long-lost daughter, we would have approached the mission differently instead of attacking him like we did. I can understand Carmela flipping out and assume that he would be terrorizing the shop because she never met the man before." Hazel explained with her gaze on the dark mage beside her.

"Do you remember me telling you that I came to check on Carmela last week?"

"Yes, let me guess, you knew of his magic then and attempted to take him on yourself."

"How very intelligent of you? I guess I shouldn't have hidden that from someone like you, Miss Hazel. You always seem to know when someone is hiding valuable information."

"It's a personality trait that is very prominent in my sun sign. Now I'm curious, did he ever attempt to steal anything from the shop while you were taking your shift?" Hazel asked towards Carmela who is floored of the information being thrown around and is trying to process it.

"No, he never attempted to steal anything! He would just come to the shop where I took it the wrong way and try to fight him off."

"That's understandable since you never met this man. Why didn't you tell Carmela that she had a father to begin with, Mr. Barret?"

"I wanted to, but I feared that she wouldn't want anything to do with him when Ben hasn't laid eyes on her since after her birth. Why did you come here, Ben? What were you hoping to gain after so many years apart?"

"I wasn't hoping to gain anything. All I was hoping for was that I would be able to provide for Carmela and her mother after all these years. I learned that my wife was sick and they had no money to treat the illness. I saw that your father had an award for your capture, Witchbane, and I took that sole propose for taking those instruments to subdue your abilities and take you to your father. I would get the reward to help Anna get proper treatment and have financial stability for my daughter. But I guess that is not going to happen, now." Ben explained while still tied down by Hazel's fused belt around him.

"You had good intentions in providing for your family but you could have taken a different route instead of finding yourself in the Rune Knights custody. You're not doing any good for your wife and daughter when your in a jail cell because you chose to be a mage with dark magic. " Hazel replied with a soft gaze on him. She could tell that he was deeply hurt that he couldn't help his family, which Hazel wished that she had a father like him in a way. Yes, he chose the wrong path to help his family but he had all the right intentions, something that Hazel couldn't hold against him.

"I know, it's my mistake and I should pay the consequences for my actions. I'm sorry, Carmela. I wanted to tell you who I was, but I feared that you wouldn't believe me. Could you find it in your heart to forgive your dead-beat father?" Ben asked as he glared down at the ground with guilt filling his gaze.

Lucy and the others couldn't believe what was happening and had to wonder how Hazel realized this. They looked at her with confusion and were hoping to get an answer from her but all Hazel did was give them a reassuring gaze and that she will explain it later.

"You're not a dead-beat dad, daddy. If I had realized who you were at first, I wouldn't have flipped out like my mother would. I do take after her after all. I can forgive you but I certainly can't forget the fear you put me through." Carmela replied as she sat in front of her father with her gaze filled with tears.

"You're just like your mother, Carmela. So forgiving, but hard-headed just like your old man."

"I guess I get the best of both worlds, huh? Mommy is getting a little better but she still needs proper treatment. I'm sure she would understand your actions."

"Yeah, I don't think she will but thanks for giving me some reassurance. Sorry that I couldn't get the money to give her the proper treatment." Ben replied as he looked up at his beautiful daughter, who takes after her mother's appearance except her eyes: soft features in the face, shoulder-length wavy brown hair that conformed to her face and beautiful light blue eyes that are of her father's.

"I could fund some of the treatment, but it won't be enough to heal her completely, Ben. Of course, I do have a large sum of jewels to the mages for completing their mission to stop you and your buddies here." Mr. Barret replied as he stared down at his son.

"If you would allow me, Mr. Barret," Hazel butted into the family's discussion. She didn't like that she interrupted them and her companions couldn't help but give her these unappreciative glares. She wouldn't blame them for scolding at her but Hazel brushed them off and gave them something to rethink their assumption of her. "I would like for you to keep my share of the reward to help fund your daughter-in-law's treatment." Hazel replied with soft but kind smile towards the family before her.

"Hazel?" the trio beside her exclaimed. They were shocked that she is willing to give up her share of the reward to help the mother which made them realize that she is not who they thought she was. Giving up her reward for the mission they completed to the sick mother showed them that Hazel is a very compassionate person, despite being the way she could be sometimes.

"Wait, what? Are you serious? You would really do that?" Ben asked as he looked up at Hazel with astonishment who tried to stand but fell back to his knees, scraping them.

"If it means to help your wife get better, Ben, then yes. I would hate to have Carmela lose her mother due to a curable illness when her father is not around to give his daughter the support she needs."

Carmela rushed at Hazel happily and wrapped her arms around her neck, thanking her profusely for her hospitality. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! You are such a wonderful person! Thank you so much! I will make sure my mother will send you a special gift for helping us. Please, consider this soon to be gift as a life-long partnership between the only good Witchbane member and the Barret Family. It would be such a pleasure and honor to offer our services whenever you need us, Miss Witchbane" Carmela replied so happily that she cried.

Hazel felt her heart flutter at Carmela's gratitude then gave the young teen a soft, beaming smile. It made Hazel feel good about herself that she is able to help the family during this trying time and she hopes to provide for them again when they need it. "It is my honor to help you. I do hope your mother gets well soon." Hazel replied then watched as the girl run to the shop with tears streaming down her face. She then turned her gaze to Ben who is being helped up from the ground and in the Rune Knights custody, but Hazel had them stop for a moment.

Hazel stared at Ben for a second before she placed her hand on the molded belt around him and had it revert back to its original form. Her belt limped in her grasp and eyed the man before her with a strange glare that only he could understand. Before his hands were clamped with iron bounds, he held out a hand out to Hazel and gave her an apologetic gaze.

"Please forgive me of my actions, Miss Witchbane. My ignorance got the better of me. Thank you for helping to provide for my wife's treatment. I am eternally grateful for your hospitality. I understand if your don't forgive me for how I have treated you earlier. Sometimes desperation causes bad choices." Ben replied with his hand extended out.

"I can vouch for that," Hazel started then took his hand in a friendly manner and beamed a wide, smile at him. "I forgive you and I will be more then happy to assist you and your family again when needed. And that's a Hazel Witchbane promise." Hazel replied then shook his hand gently before he was forced to retract his arm back to be placed in iron bounds.

Hazel watched as Ben and the two other mages get taken away then she turned her gaze to Mr. Barret who has tears of joy trailing down his face. "Thank you so much for all that you have done for my family, FairyTail mages. The three of you will get the share that I promised and Miss Hazel, I can't let you leave here empty handed for the hospitality you showed."

"Oh no, it's alright, Mr. Barret. Leaving here knowing that I could help a family in need is enough for me. It's a reward in itself so I can't possibly accept anything that is of riches." Hazel pleaded with her hands waving in front of her.

"Nonsense, child, besides I just wouldn't feel right leaving you empty handed after what you have done for my family. Because of your actions, you deserve something far more other then jewels. So please, follow me inside so I can reward you properly." Mr. Barret replied as he showed the four of them inside the shop with a large, bright smile.

* * *

Natsu and his team later found themselves on the train back to Magnolia with large smiles and memorable gifts from Mr. Barret and his granddaughter, Carmela. The reward didn't feel enough so they gave the trio some additions. Lucy received a new silver key, so she can't wait to summon her new spirit when she got back to Magnolia. Lucy had asked Hazel to be present when she makes a contract with the spirit which Hazel happily accepted. When Mr. Barret learned of Natsu's motion sickness, he gave Natsu a special charm necklace to keep his sickness at bay which he is happily wearing now. Gray was a hard individual to match the perfect gift with because Mr. Barret didn't want to equip him with something that would benefit him in battle when he knew Gray is already a very powerful mage, it would be probably just insult the boy. Instead, he opted for letting Gray choose an item in his shop of his choice free of charge. It surprised Gray that he would allow that, but he was grateful that Mr. Barret allowed him because there was something in the shop that he saw and liked but it was way out of his price range. When he showed him the item that he was eyeing, Mr. Barret didn't even bat an eye yet alone complain that he was losing money out of it. It was his gift to him anyway.

Hazel on the other hand, received something that made her cry a little because it was of sentimental value. The object sat in her lap during the train ride home, eyeing it lovingly. It is a small locked dark green box embellished in gold and silver accents and a large sapphire gem a top the rounded cover. From what Mr. Barret informed Hazel that her old home was owned by the bank after her father lost his business and were auctioning off all the valuable family possessions. Mr. Barret was lucky enough to win the item since it used to belong to Hazel's mother. He told her that the only way to unlock the box is if the lock recognized the magic that sealed it, but he did advise Hazel that she should wait to open the box when the moment came. Hazel had to wonder what is inside the box because her curiosity is beginning to get the better of her, but she refrained herself.

"I wonder what is inside that box that Mr. Barret gave you. It must hold something very valuable if you have that look, Hazel." Lucy started breaking the silence between them when they approached the Magnolia train station.

"It does because this little ornate chest used to belong to my mother. Whatever it is, I'm sure she saved it for me for when I came at a certain age or an important milestone."

"Then why don't you go ahead and open it to see what's inside?" Natsu replied as he stared at it anxiously.

"I would like to, however, I'm going to wait when the time comes to reveal its contents, Natsu. Once it does come, I will most likely want to open the chest in private. So for now, I will be stashing this away where I know it will be safe."

"That's a good idea, because knowing this idiot, Natsu will try to break into your home and try to open it himself to find out what is inside it." Gray said as he pointed towards the dragon slayer who growled at him in annoyance.

"Even if he wanted to break into my home, he would just be tossed out upon entering. My home is rigged with magic recognition, so if someone intrudes without my consent they will be kicked out immediately and my house goes under lock down. So I advise that neither of you trespass." Hazel replied in a stern voice then stood to her feet when the train came to a full stop at the platform.

"Thanks for the heads up. We will keep that in mind, won't we, Natsu?" Gray asked as he wrapped in arm around Natsu's neck with a warning glare in his eye.

"Yeah, I will keep that in mind." Natsu replied back nervously then followed his friends off the train to head back to the guild.

* * *

It didn't take them long to walk back to the guild since Natsu was springing around happily and that everyone around him had to try to catch up with the energetic being. As they approached the large doors and burst through, the guild hall erupted in welcome and cheers of their successful mission. Needless to say it was loud and Hazel is not exactly a big fan of loudness, but she dealt with it since people started partying in celebration. She watched as Natsu and Gray went to the bar to grab several mugs of beer for the team then traveled quickly to their usual spot and sat down. Lucy urged Hazel to follow which she didn't realize that she was standing there stationary since she walked through the door.

Once the girls got to the table, Cana appeared before the team with her large barrel in hand and positioned herself a top the table. "Hey there, newbie, how does it feel to be apart of Team Natsu, now? Great job, by the way, and who would have thought that someone like you would have earth magic? It's unbelievable, because hardly anyone has that form of magic."

"It is a very sparse magic, but there are lucky few in EarthLand that learn from the moment after they are born a year later and I'm one of those few. Your name is Cana, right?" Hazel asked as she gave the drunken girl an annoyed glare.

"Sure is. I'm surprised you remembered my name, newbie." Cana slurred.

"The name is Hazel, Cana, not newbie. While I appreciate your enthusiasm of our completed mission I'm not a member of Team Natsu. I only went on the mission because they asked for my assistance and I told them that it was only a one time deal, nothing further." Hazel explained roughly as she drank the stout liquid that Gray handed her moments ago when she sat down.

"Oh, come on, Haze. Even though you said it was a one time thing, we would love to have you as an additional member of our team. We may already be a full team, but we could use another strong mage like yourself." Gray replied happily with a slight cheer of his beer mug.

"Yeah. Besides with your magic along with your strong intellect we will make an even stronger team then before. We would be The Unbelievably Strongest Team!" Natsu chimed then downed what was left of his beer and requested some more from Mira.

Hazel only stared at him with her mind wondering. She is not one to be a team player since she does like to work solo, but Hazel did have to admit that she had fun with the three of them. She would actually like to work with them again, although, she doesn't know how they will work together once Erza returned from her mission. Hazel never got to meet the re-quip mage properly and she has this odd feeling that they will not get along well right away. They are opposite of each other and with Hazel's personality, they will eventually clash. Not something you would want in an unmistakably strong team of five, maybe even six if you count Wendy the Wind Dragon Slayer. It's an instinct and Hazel's instincts are normally _very_ right. So she should avoid joining Natsu's team until she gets to know re-quip mage better and figure out what it is about her that she is hesitating like this.

"Not to sound rude or anything, I appreciate the offer of having me on your team, but I highly advise against it. I prefer solo missions for a reason. Teaming up with you, the ice-mage, the celestial-spirit summoner and the re-quip mage would just spell trouble for me. So I have to flat out decline the offer."

"Seriously?" Natsu droned out with shock.

"Why are you against joining a team, missy-pants? A lot of the mages here have formed teams and they always do better in groups instead of being out on their own." Cana replied with a forced stern glare at her who is starting to become a little more then drunk.

"I really don't care if others have formed teams and that I'm not apart of one them. If I want to join a FairyTail team, I will make that decision when I feel like I'm ready to work with the others. Until then, I'm going to stick to solo jobs for now because not only do I prefer it, it makes me stronger every time."

"That's a lot of explaining for what I think is such an obvious and simple answer." Cana started with her one last jug of her current barrel the set it away from her to lazily eye Hazel. "I think you don't want to join Team Natsu because of someone in the team. I'm guessing that someone is Erza, am I right?"

Hazel then couldn't bring herself to say anything because she knew that Cana would read right through her and her explanation. She had a hand it to her, Cana is smart but not enough when she is blasted off her rocker. The girl is so drunk that Hazel doesn't know how long she will be able to sit on the table much longer, yet alone how she can analyze her like she had. Hazel wanted to bury herself under the table when she felt eyes from Natsu, Lucy and Gray on her, searching her for an answer while they await for a response.

When she didn't say anything back, Gray had leaned over slightly at her and looked at her oddly. He must be trying to see her facial expression because she is trying to hide an embarrassed but uncomfortable expression from her bangs. "Do you have something against, Erza, Hazel?" Gray asked when he couldn't see her eyes anymore.

"How can I put this without sounding rude or extremely blunt?"

"Oh, just tell us already, Basil."

Hazel glared at Cana for referring to her by that name, but of course the girl is drunk as a skunk and would call her something other then her giving name. "If you really want to know then I'll just be blunt about it. Erza rubs me the wrong way." Hazel replies shortly then concentrated on her mug.

"Really?" This shocked Gray, because he didn't think that she would not care for her. Although, he had to wonder if it had something to do with their personalities because they are different from each other. Hazel is more grounded and indifferent to others, but eventually warms up to people and only allows a few people to get close to her. She certainly doesn't share the same interest as Erza and from what he could tell that Hazel stays away from anything that is cute. 'Yeah, it has to be a personality clash,' Gray thought to himself.

"Hey everyone, we have a Erza-hater!" Cana hollered as she drank another barrel, not even caring the vicious glare that Hazel gave her when she shouted out that she didn't care for the re-quip mage.

"Cana!" Hazel snarled with teeth clenched and a fist gripping the mug handle tightly.

"Oh don't get your panties in a wad, Basil. It's okay if you don't like someone, we won't hold anything against ya." Cana replied drunkenly with a hand waving up and down in front of her.

"There's someone else I'm beginning to not like. And it's Hazel, swim-top. I'm not a seasoning." Hazel grumbles then turns away from the drunk.

"Well, this is a first for us, Hazel. I don't think I've ever known anyone in the guild that doesn't like Erza. Although, I would like to suggest that you get to know her better when she returns from her mission, Hazel. Erza is a good person and means a lot to protect the guild." Lucy replied with a small smile.

"I'll keep that in mind." Hazel replied simply and was going to brush the subject off so she could think of other things, but this mysterious feeling started to well up in her stomach. It confused her, but she kept it contained since she is around the others. She doesn't know why, but something felt off to her. It's not the guild that's for sure because everything inside seemed normal even outside these walls. Then it dawned on her, she can feel someone's wavelength but it is at a very alarmingly far distance, like maybe a hundred miles or two out. She never sensed a person's wavelength from this far and had to wonder if she should share this information. The only problem is, Hazel doesn't feel that Natsu, Gray, Lucy or Cana would understand yet alone believe her. Well, Lucy may, but Hazel is not sure if she wants to share this kind of information with her just yet. Hazel has her doubts about her, but not to extremes. She's not even sure anybody else in the guild would understand or believe her.

Except. Hazel turned her eyes away from the chatting friends to the dark corner of the guild hall where Gajeel sat. She eyes him from a distance and she can tell that he sensed her eyes on him because Hazel can feel his gaze. That unknown spark reappeared in her stomach when she felt his eyes and this only made her make a decision that Hazel knew would be a mistake in the future. She turned her gaze away from him to see if anyone was watching her at all, only to see that Lucy, Natsu and Gray are grouped together with Cana getting their tarot readings. Perfect opportunity. She gently took the small chest from the table and slid out from underneath the table without making a sound then made her way to the far dark corner. Hazel doesn't know why she is acting upon her impulse, but she could see no other solution and believes that this man will understand her. She respects him after all and can trust him wholeheartedly without having to think twice about it. Besides, she feels a strong connection between them and Hazel intends to find out what that connection is. Rather it's a bad idea or not.

* * *

Another chapter, what do you think? Chapter 8 will be up soon, so get ready for a Gajeel and Hazel centric chapter. Don't worry though, it brings a good hunk of GaLu afterwards. Hope you enjoyed the read and don't forget to review, my lovely peeps! Chow for now :)


	8. Inseparable Bond

Hey guys, hope you are all enjoying the story so far. I'm almost finished writing it, so there will be two more chapters coming up soon. The chapter is more centered around Gajeel and Hazel to explore their relationship a little bit. The GaLu pairing will be coming in more towards the end with some OOC-ness from Gajeel, if it's too much or something, give me a heads up please. Hopefully you'll get a laugh out of a few of the scenes that I threw in there to break up some of the seriousness in this chapter. Hope you enjoy the read though and don't forget to review. Thanks again everyone for your continuous support of favoriting/following the story. Thanks a bunch, kisses :)

* * *

When Hazel and Team Natsu arrived back to the guild, no one seemed to argue of a celebration from a successful mission. The party is only getting better and with the team distracted to get their tarot done by Cana, Hazel made her way to Gajeel's table. He sat in that corner with a plate of metal scrapes that are halfway gone and several beer mugs that sat empty at the edge of the table. He is working on his fourth one which Hazel had to wonder how he is not falling out of his chair by now. Hazel knows she can't drink that much, hell she can't hold her own liquor. One mug is all it takes for her to get loopy, so thankfully she only drank a quarter of hers.

When she got closer, Hazel noticed Gejeel's exceed Pantherlily by his left side and is munching on the last bit of his kiwi that was piled high at one point. She knew the cat loves kiwi but Hazel didn't think that his liking for the sweet yet tarty fruit would go this far. She laughed on the inside at the heavenly expression upon Lily's fury face then approached Gajeel with a straight face as much she could muster. Before she could say a word, his studded boot kicked a chair out from under the table that is in front of him, basically inviting her to sit with him. She is a little surprised of this action, but sat down without hesitating. When she planted herself in front of him, a small smile appeared on his handsome face and that's when it dawned on her why he chose this spot. He didn't want anyone in the guild to see either of their facial expressions while they conversed among themselves, a pretty good move on his part. Only because her presence is making him smile, but that only raised questions in Hazel's mind of his current relationship with Lucy. Although she shoved it aside to open her mouth after a moment of silence between them.

"Hey there, hedgehog," Hazel started, returning a smile his way.

"What do you want, Turnip Green?"

"Why else would I be coming over here? I wanted to talk with you, duh."

"Tch, whatever. Congratulations on a job well done, but I think you could have handled it all on your own if they gave you the chance."

"I could have, but it just wouldn't be fun not knowing how those two idiots work together in a team together."

"You are talking about popsicle-boy and burnout, right?"

"Of course I am, I certainly wouldn't want to talk bad about your _girlfriend_." Hazel whispered.

"Ssh!" Gajeel quickly hushed with a hand waving in front of him, hoping that the other three dragon slayers didn't hear her but it only made Hazel chuckle silently from his embarrassed composition and unnerving eye.

"Oh don't worry, it's too loud in here for those three to hear. But I didn't come over here to talk about your relationships, Gajeel."

"Could have fooled me, Hazel."

Hazel paused for only a moment to think of how to approach him about this feeling she has. Although, she is just as worried that the other dragon slayers could ear in even though there is a lot of noise surrounding them. She looked around for a second then returned her gaze to his, leaning over the table slightly to ease closer to Gajeel's unmoving lips.

"We need to talk." She started in a whisper.

Confusion settled over Gajeel as he eyed the leaning Hazel, but he is a little nervous as well from the tone she gave off. He doesn't really like the sound of it and had himself a little on edge. "What about?"

"I don't think this is the right place to speak, especially when we have three other dragon slayers present. Is there a place where we can talk more in private and not anywhere near the guild?"

"I'm beginning to not like the sound of this."

"Please, Gajeel. You are the only person I know that will probably understand me, maybe even believe me after what I tell you."

"What about, Lucy, though? Do you not think she will understand you?"

"She might, but this is something that I don't feel comfortable explaining to her. That's why, I'm asking you. I believe you will understand me without labeling me a freak or something." Hazel replied then turned her gaze away from him to gaze down at the wood grains of the table.

Gajeel just looked at her with suspicion but there is something inside his heart to give her a shoulder to lean on. He already knows that she is not trying to lure him out and attack him because he can sense her devotion and respect towards him. As he continued to glare at the girl, that uneasy bothered feeling returned and it only raised his curiosity. He then found a reason to learn why this girl bothered him but at the same time hear what she wants to talk about. Taking a quick glance around the guild to see if anyone is watching, he leaned close to Hazel and whispered in her ear.

"I know a place, but we gonna have to leave now."

"Then lead the way."

Gajeel soon stood from the table, giving Lily a glare not to tell anyone that they were sneaking out. Of course, Lily didn't seem to mind them doing so and returned to eating his kiwi. Hazel soon followed Gajeel's movements and walked closely behind him without anyone noticing them. They snuck quick glances around the guild before they creeped into the back unnoticed.

* * *

Hazel and Gajeel stood on the hillside that is close to Lake Sciliora, watching as the sun started to set over the thin line of the watery horizon. Hazel is a little surprised at Gajeel for bringing her here, it seemed to be more of a romantic setting for a couple instead of a one on one with a friend. Although it is a very nice place to get away from all the noise that echoed along the hills, giving them some sense of silence instead of the obnoxious noise of the guild. She stood there with her eyes wide, overlooking the spectacular view of the lake with the guild hall just three miles away.

"Wow, you sure did pick quiet a spot, Gajeel. This sure is a really nice place, beautiful view of the lake. I can't remember the last time I saw a lake or the ocean for that matter." Hazel started in awe as she eyed the setting sun over the water.

"You're kidding, right?" Gajeel started in confusion.

"I was raised inland of Bosco, just on the outskirts of Stella. I was never allowed to go near the ocean because that was where my father conducted business. Something that my mother told me a long time ago. I can't believe its been this long since her death."

"Your mother died?"

"Maybe not the best term to describe it but yes, although that is not something I want to talk about. I get the feeling that someone is closing in on me."

"Huh?"

"I sense wavelengths. While I was with Team Natsu and the hammered Cana I felt someone's wavelength but it was at a very alarming far distance. I didn't have the best past life and I almost feel like it's starting to catch up with me."

"How far was this wavelength you sensed?"

"A hundred miles or so, I'v never felt anyone's wavelength from that far of a distance. I was taught to sense them when I was young and usually sensing anyone from that far of a distance is unheard of unless you possess a certain magic."

"Let me guess, not only do you have earth magic but you have something else that you are keeping under the radar. I always try to get a whiff of ya whenever you are close by."

"Okay, that doesn't sound creepy at all. What are you doing sniffing me out? Don't you already have a woman to smell?" Hazel asked him with her eyes glaring at him as if he had two heads.

Gajeel blushed furiously from her comment, causing some awkwardness between them now. "What the hell? I didn't mean it that way, Turnip Green!"

"Then stop sniffing me like you're some mangy horny mutt, you stupid hedgehog! It's weird and it's creepy. So keep your dragon nose to yourself!"

"Tch." Gajeel responded, quickly turning his gaze away from her to look out at the water again. Needless to say that side-trip threw them off from what they were originally discussing and it caused an uncomfortable silence between the two. They don't even know how to pull themselves out of the awkwardness except stare off into the distance. The air may be thick but the scenery around them is quiet wonderful. The sun is a bright fuchsia orange that mirrored on the glassy surface where orange and magenta ripples shimmered on the dark blue water. It's going to get dark soon and being on this hill will eventually have them stuck there for the night since it was hard to get up here to begin with.

After five minutes in being in that awkward silence, Hazel spoke again but in a soft tone. "Do you believe me, though? About me sensing that wavelength from that far of a distance?"

"It's hard _not_ to believe ya. If you can sense wavelengths then that only means that your "under the radar" magic is something I have."

"Meaning?"

"I know this sounds off topic but from the beginning I knew there was something off about you. Lucy and I both felt something that we couldn't explain about you and I think I finally figured that out just by taking you up here when you approached me earlier. I had to find out for myself if my assumption was right and I got my answer."

"Then you have a general idea of what my actual magic is, don't you?"

"Yep, so I have to ask. Why won't you admit to anyone of what your true potential is? Are you afraid that someone will spread the word around or something?"

"Yes, actually, I want to keep it a secret as long as I can. If someone I knew from my past hears that I am residing in here Magnolia, they _will_ come after me. My magic is rare and I heard a rumor during my mission that my father has dark mages searching for me. I don't know why he is but I have no desire to see that heartless bastard and I certainly don't want anything to happen to FairyTail because of my defiance."

"You do know that FairyTail will do everything in their power to protect their own? We're nakama rather we like someone or not plus we protect them as long as we live."

"I know, it's an excellent trait that FairyTail has that no other guild expresses and that's one of the reasons why I joined. They protect their own because they are nakama, something I never really had while growing up. I know that if something ever happens to me, all of you will back me up not matter what. Coming here gave me a sense of security because I know I can't face or handle my enemies all on my own. Of course, being in a new environment surrounded by nothing but strangers makes me cautious of my surroundings. I have been jumped numerous times when I was a child and that's one of the reasons why I am the way I am." Hazel explained as she continued to look out to the water.

Gajeel eyed Hazel with that stotic gaze of his, trying to read Hazel after she opened up like that. He had to wonder why she chose him to open up fully but he felt a sense of pride that Hazel came to him first instead anyone else. He's the only one that knows of her reasoning for joining FairyTail and he likes the fact that he is the first. She obviously trusts him the most and he also liked that, but he had ask himself where Lucy stands in her circle.

"Why me though? You could have talked to Lucy about this if you wanted to."

"I know I can, but like I told you in the guild, I felt more comfortable talking to you and thought that you should be the first to know. Besides, I don't think she would have believed me right away. I'm not even sure if she can keep a secret like this to herself."

"What makes you so sure about that if you haven't tried to talk to her yet? Aren't you jumping to conclusions that she may not understand you, yet?"

"Maybe I am, it's natural for me to do so. I trust her if that's what you're insinuating?"

"But not enough like you are with me?"

"In a way, but she is a good friend to me." Hazel replied shortly then slowly turned her gaze away from the setting sun to Gajeel whose gaze is not on hers. She eyed him for a moment, still feeling that spark in her stomach. There is something about him that Hazel is drawn to and she thinks it has something to do with her attraction towards the iron dragon slayer. Yeah he's handsome, strong and has that rugged bad-boy exterior but there is more to him then what she sees on the outside. She feels that they have something in common, instead of their personality in a certain light. He has his cold demeanor and lives for the thrill of combat, just like she does and can be emotionally vulnerable, sort of like now. Maybe that's why she is drawn to him, they are a lot alike. It's like she's staring at a male version of herself but a little bit smarter. But she knows that there is something more to him and wants to know what that spark is that keeps drawing her to him. She had to wonder if he felt the same thing.

Hazel smiles softly at Gajeel without his knowledge then tore her eyes away from him. "You ask 'why you' it's because there is a quality I see in you that I'm naturally drawn to. I know you can tell I have a lot of respect towards you and admire your devotion to the guild but I trust you with my life as well."

Gajeel looked away from the dark waters over at Hazel. What is left of the sunset shined on her soft features, really radiating her natural beauty. He never took the time to actually look at the girl since she joined the guild and he realized quickly that she is a beautiful woman. He doesn't see her like he does with Lucy, it's something that he recognized and just couldn't help himself but stare. Her skin looks soft and her light masculine scent of musky amber and sandalwood mixed with the earth tingled at his nose. 'She smells nice,' Gajeel thought to himself as he continued to eye Hazel. Despite the thick chunk of her hair hanging in front of her left eye, Gajeel can see that her eyes are an earthy golden hazel, a shade that reminded him of amber. She has pretty eyes but no one could really see them from behind her lavender glasses and he knows that she is only wearing them as a fashion accessory. He started to eye her differently for some reason and that is when he felt heat on his cheeks. He's beginning to blush and he realized that Hazel caught him staring at her.

Her eyes are on him as well and saw that little bit of pink on his cheeks but didn't say anything. Hazel ignored his glare just by turning away from him again and out towards the dark horizon, breaking that silence between them. "I came to you because there is a connection between us and I want to figure out what that is. There's a reason why I'm fond of you so. I may not know you like Lucy does, but I am dedicated to the people that are close to me. I consider you and Lucy my closet allies, nakama really. Jet is a good friend of mine as well and I keep reminding myself everyday that you three are the most important people in my life."

Gajeel's chest tightened a little from him being an important figure to her despite not knowing each other that very well. He would have to admit though, he likes Hazel and intends to keep her close and protect her from those that want to put harm onto her. If Hazel sees him as one of the most important people in her life then he will do the exact same thing in retunr, but he won't admit that to anyone, at least not yet. A small smile appeared on his face in appreciation then changes it back to his thin scowl.

"Don't get all mushy with me, Turnip Green."

Hazel sighs softly from his remark and decides not to voice her opinion of his choice of words. Instead she turned back to him with seriousness in her eyes and Gajeel did not like that look either. "I need you to do me a favor, Gajeel. Since you have discovered what my true abilities are, could you please keep it to yourself?"

He raised a studded eyebrow in confusion, not exactly expecting her to ask him to hide the truth from everyone. He's never kept a secret in his life, except his romantic relationship with Lucy. Well, he may have kept a few other secrets so he probably won't have a hard time keeping her secret to himself. Keeping this from Lucy though is another thing, and he's not exactly sure how that is going to work out in the end.

"You want me to keep it a secret? Isn't that a little risky?"

"It may be risky, but you are the only one that found out and I need you to keep it on the down low. If the whole guild found out about it, then word would spread throughout Magnolia and reach other cities and counties. I can't afford to have this leaked. So please, can you promise me that you will keep this a secret?"

"I don't know, Hazel. I really don't want to be keeping this from Lucy."

"I understand that keeping something like this from a significant other is a lot to ask for from you but you have to promise me, Gajeel. You need to keep this a secret, that's all I ask and nothing further. I'll explain it to Lucy when I get a chance, but don't tell her anything until I do. Can you at least promise me that?"

Gajeel couldn't help but feel uneasy even after she would explain to Lucy, hiding anything from her would just make her flip. Her reassurance though gave him a certain comfort that she will most likely take fault for any hardship on them or anyone else that found out. Frankly, that's all it took for Gajeel to agree in keeping such a secret.

"Yeah, I promise. I'll keep your _magic_ a secret, Basil."

Hazel's chest tightened from him promising her like that but she had to laugh at the name calling. Cana called her that earlier and couldn't help but snicker at it now that she remembered. "I guess you heard what Cana called me earlier, huh?" Hazel smiled.

"Yeah, it kind of fits though."

"How so?"

"You smell of african amber and sandalwood, but you have traces of earth."

"And what does the earth smell like to you?"

"Like basil leaves."

Hazel fell silent, analyzing the significance of his reference and actually understood him after a few seconds of contemplating. She took a whiff of her wrist and smelled the amber of her perfume but the hint of basil, earth. So it rang true and it didn't bother her anymore. If someone called her Basil again, she would just accept it as a nickname to her closet friends. She smiled at the thought then glared out at the dark waters. It became night really quick and it only tampered with the current feel around her and Gajeel.

"Looks like we will be stuck up here for the night." Hazel replied as she rubbed the back of her neck with an exasperated sigh.

"Yeah looks like it. Going down these hills are treacherous at night. You'll break something just from even attempting to head back down. We'll head back to the guild at first light."

"Sounds good to me." Hazel replied softly then descended onto the rocky surface with Gajeel following her lead. They sat there talking about random things for a while until they both felt the first sign of sleep come over them by the time the moon hung high around midnight. After a good ten minutes, they were both asleep in close proximity of each other without even caring that the cool air drew them closer for warmth. They slept soundly. No worries, no threats looming, and no loud obnoxious noises to wake the two from their slumber.

* * *

When morning dawned over Magnolia, Lucy emerged from her apartment to head to the guild in hopes of finding Gajeel and Hazel. She realized not long after her tarot reading that Hazel disappeared from view and wanted to ask Gajeel where she could have gone but he was missing as well. She was confused of their absence last night and she is curious if they snuck off together. She didn't harbor any negative thoughts about it because Lucy knew that Hazel wouldn't get in between two people who are over their heads in love with each other. She knew that her good friend just wanted to spend time with him to get to know him better and Lucy didn't mind it. She knew that others would tell her differently if they knew of her relationship with Gajeel but they don't and she's happy about that as well. Hazel is keeping her word in not telling anyone that Lucy the Celestial Spirit Mage is secretly dating the Iron Dragon Slayer. Lucy is very happy to have Hazel in on her secret relationship and hopes that Hazel will tell her relationships that she is involved in. Just the thought of it made her smile happily as she approached the guild and was about to walk through the doors when she heard people coming.

She's confused of who else would be up this early in the morning but looked over her shoulder to see who it was that is approaching. Oddly enough, Lucy saw Gajeel and Hazel arm in arm with the morning sun burning brightly behind them. She can hear them talking about something but she couldn't decipher what it was they were saying but openly greeted them with a large smile. "Good morning, Gajeel and Hazel!"

"Good morning, Lucy." Hazel replied as she turned to Lucy's direction with a small wave and came to a stop at arms length.

"Hey, babe." Lucy had blushed slightly from Gajeel calling her that so openly in front of Hazel, which she did not particularly care for to begin with. It made her grimace from the look that Gajeel gave her and wanted to remove herself from their sight so they could have a lovey-dovey moment.

"Tch, your public affections are nauseating."

"Sorry, Hazel. Pardon me for asking, but where did you two go last night? I couldn't find either of you and Lily wouldn't say anything."

Before Hazel could respond, Gajeel took the liberty to answer Lucy and gave her a straight forward answer that had Hazel shifting nervously in her spot. "We wanted to talk somewhere less noisy so we could catch up with each other. There ain't nothing wrong that, right?"

"Not at all, what did you two talk about?"

"Stuff, which I will discuss with you soon enough, Luce. For now, I need to head back home and put this in a safe place. I'll see you two in a bit though. Have fun with your _alone_ time, love-birds." Hazel replied curtly as she held onto her mother's chest then turned on her heels.

"Will you keep your voice down, geez?" Gajeel snapped.

"No one heard me, besides you two will be there for a while before anyone decides to come to the guild. So have your fun and I'll see you later in the morning. Chow!" Hazel said as she quickly walked away from the perplexed couple.

She needed get home soon, not just because the small chest in her hand is becoming a nuisance but the fact that she needed to keep it safe. Hazel knew that if something happened to it before she opened that she will be devastated. There were actually a couple of times that she nearly dropped it from her descent back to solid ground this morning. She needed it safe so she could preserve the last bit of her mother's possession.

Lucy and Gajeel watched Hazel for a moment a little confused of why she needed to leave so soon but they also couldn't but help sense that there was a tinge of sadness behind her voice. "What's up with her all of the sudden?" Lucy asked worriedly with a side glance to Gajeel.

"I don't know, but I get the feeling that she still thinks about her dead mother after all of these years. I wonder if her mother's death anniversary is coming up."

"I don't know either. How about we head inside and talk? I would hate to be interrupted standing out here when we know our guild mates are on their way here."

"Yeah, I agree with you there. So move your hot ass on in there, Bunny Girl." Gajeel replied slyly as he slapped Lucy's round rump, making her squeak from his crude comment.

"GAJEEL!" She yelped then gave a smack on his arm then disappeared inside the guild as Gajeel laughed at her but surely followed with his grin on his face.

This is going to be a fun morning, he thought.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Chapter nine will be posted sometime this weekend or the beginning of next week. So stay tuned for GaLu dominating the first half of the next chapter. Thanks again for reading and please review! Chow for now FairyTail Fans! :)


	9. Proper Welcome

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry that I didn't update sooner. It was Memorial Day weekend plus I hit a small case of writer's block. This one is longer then usual so I apologize for a longer chapter. However, you get to see GaLu in the first half before it becomes Hazel centric towards the middle. I plan on having one more chapter up for this story before I dive into the follow-up story. There might be some OOC-ness from Gajeel but hopefully I didn't go to the extreme.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FAIRYTAIL.

* * *

The guild hall is very strange when it is quiet like this in the early morning. It is basically empty with the exception of Gajeel and Lucy sitting at a table in the back. It felt weird to them to not have other guild members around talking amongst themselves where an occasional brawl would ensue once an argument has unfolded. More specifically a brawl between the ice-mage and the fire dragon slaying mage, and they usually cause a lot of distractions in the guild. There were a few occasions for Lucy that she saw Natsu pick a fight with Hazel but it would quickly end with either a hard punch to his cranium or a glowering insult towards the pinkette. She always found those few instances comical because Hazel was always reading something and it was just mere seconds after her good friend would interrupt her to take action. The thought of the last one came across her mind when Natsu took it a little too far and called her a "emotionless freak" which is very unlike him to even call a newcomer something like that. She remembered Hazel calmly closing her novel and set it aside gently while she removed her lavender glasses. When the items were away from her, she launched a hard and powerful punch to Natsu's face where he ended up being tossed backwards into Cana's table and spilt her beer all over her and him. She even remembered the uproar that came out of Hazel's mouth and it left an impression in her mind. Lucy knew from her tone then and the action she took that something happened to Hazel in the past that it plagued her still.

Although Lucy pushed aside her thoughts of Hazel aside to actually take in the silence that belonged to them. The emptiness and silence of the guild hall is welcoming, now they can only hope that this rare gift can last a while so Lucy and Gajeel can have some time for themselves since no one is around to watch. It's pleasant.

"It's very different in here when there is no constant chatter among us. It's actually peaceful in here." Lucy stated as she looked about the room, taking in the scenery of empty tables and chairs including the bar that she usually sits at.

"It's too quiet from what we are normally used to, so peaceful is a good word to describe this silence."

"And with no one around, we can sit together without eyes staring."

"Just imagine their faces when they learn of our relationship when we decide to announce to the guild. Think of how that flame brain would react."

"He will be thrown off his rocker and cause a war between you two. He always had affections for me but I didn't see anything further for him. So yeah, he will have a freakout!" Lucy smiled brightly as she visualized a shocked Natsu yelling his head off with his canines as shark like teeth and his flames surrounding his body. You would think she would be worried about such a sight but it didn't bother her. She has this feeling that he would accept their relationship, maybe not right away but he would. Levy on the other hand would sulk for a while because Lucy always thought that her best friend would get together with Gajeel. However, Gajeel didn't see her best friend that way ever since they were on better terms after the Phantom Lord incident and what had happened during the S-Class Trails. Lucy had to wonder if none of that happened what life here would be like, life without her future mate. Oh what a horrible thought, Lucy thought to herself then eyed Gajeel from the corner of her eye.

She actually didn't know what she would have done if he hadn't given her a chance with him. Lucy approached him about her feelings towards him just a month ago and was expecting to be shot down but she was shocked that Gajeel didn't brush her off. He wouldn't out right admit that they had some sort of attraction for one another but he was willing to give it a try. Now look at them, still together and happy as hell to be with one another. They had been hiding their status since then and plan to keep it to themselves including Hazel until they are ready to tell the guild.

Lucy smiled happily from remembering how they became what they are today where a small tinge of pink crossed her cheeks. "You know, we can't keep it a secret forever."

"We could try, if we wanted."

"We could, but it wouldn't be fair to the guild. I'm not saying we should announce our courtship soon, but we should at least put into consideration that it would hurt their feelings if we didn't tell them. I mean, don't you want to see Natsu's face when we tell them?"

"Of course I would but imagine demon-woman, Mira, when she finds out."

Lucy shivered slightly from thinking how the white-haired bar maid would react to their pairing. Mira loved her matchmaking and always hinted to Lucy that she and Natsu would make such a wonderful couple. Although there was that occasion that she thought Lucy and be great with Gray, but that was not happening if she wanted to get drowned by the Rain Woman Juvia. Just that thought made her shiver. Thinking of how Mira would react to them being together made her think that she might go Satan-Soul on them, even more of a shiver.

"Eh, I think you're right about that. Who knows how she will react? She will either be a giddy little school girl or be Satan-Soul pissed."

"See." Gajeel replied softly as he watched his woman think that through, shivering at her thoughts as well. They don't want to see her like that but like Lucy said, they can't hide it forever. Although, Lucy doesn't know when it would be a good time to tell them all. She pushed it out of her mind though to think of something else.

"I don't want to think about that anymore. It's going to be awhile before anyone decides to come to the guild, so what do you think we should do to take advantage this rare occurrence?"

Gajeel suddenly grinned, he has an idea of what they could do and it involves rattling Lucy's nerves. She saw that gleam in his eyes, instantly becoming nervous but she is anxious, too. "I know what we could do. How about we take it to the next level, Bunny Girl?"

Lucy blushed crimson from his suggestive remark, but she managed to etch a small smile of approval of his advancement. She had been thinking about it for a short time of what the next step was and Lucy wants to find out. "Does it involve defiling this table, my iron stud?" Lucy hinted with a seductive glare.

Gajeel can only curl his lips sheepishly before grinning with his canines exposed in amusement of what Lucy thought he meant. He didn't think that she would be thinking that far ahead but he liked the sound of it. "I wasn't really implying _that_, Bunny Girl, but I like the way you think. I was more thinking of taking you on an actual date."

"Oh." Was the only thing that Lucy was able to say while blushing furiously. She turned her eyes away from Gajeel to hide the small flicker of disappointment but loved the thought of going on a real date with him.

Gajeel noticed her reaction which he had no problem in teasing her a little bit. "Did I disappoint you?" He asked with a smirk present on his face.

Lucy blushed again but quickly retorted back. "No!" She lied.

Gajeel could only laugh at her with that signature gihi laugh of his. The sight of a flustered Lucy tickled him and had to wonder how much further he can go in teasing her to make her blush even more. "If you're not disappointed, then why won't you look me in the eye and accept me asking you out on a simple date?"

When Lucy didn't turn right away, Gajeel egged her on even further that made her blush brightly. "You probably can't because your mind is stuck in the gutter and are probably undressing me with your mind." He smirked wildly.

"Alright, cut it out! Excuse me for getting the wrong impression but it is technically your fault that I thought that way, you jerk." Lucy pouted with her arms crossed.

"Gihihi, I'm just teasing ya, girlie. So what do ya say, tomorrow tonight at seven?"

Lucy pouted still but relaxed her shoulders and arms in defeat. How can she say no to him? She'd been waiting for him to ask properly and in a more formal setting without anyone eavesdropping on them and learning of their secret relationship. "Yes, Gajeel, I would love that." Lucy smiled then eyed him lovingly before she changed the subject.

"I know this is off topic, even after I accepted to go on a date with you, would it be alright if I asked what you and Hazel were talking about before we met this morning?"

Gajeel was a little nervous after she brought up Hazel after all this time. He had been enjoying talking to her alone in the guild but now that she shifted towards Hazel, Gajeel couldn't help but feel a little protected of his new relationship with her. "We were just catching up with each other, that's all."

"It seems to be more then that, Gajeel. I don't mind you two hanging out together but I would hate if you were keeping something from me."

"Can I just say that she asked me to keep something secret until she spoke with you about it?"

"Oh? Does it have something to do with that odd feeling we have towards her?"

"In a way, it does but she did tell, well wait, I figured out what it was without her telling me straight out. I'm still not a hundred percent sure about it though."

"If you don't mind, but I get the feeling that she is holding back on something. I mean, she has been different from the rest of the guild members and her past vouches for that indifference. She gave me a small insight of what happened to her in the past and I can relate to her in a certain light."

"Yeah, she did openly say that she didn't have the best of childhood and that her mother died. That's all we seem to know anyway, oh and the fact that she can't stand her old man." Gajeel said as he recalled his discussion with her on that rock. She didn't say anything of why she hated her father or told him how her mother died. He had to wonder what happened that she would still harbor such a horrible past life.

"If I remember correctly, the reason why she can't stand her father was because he abused her when she was a child. I would hate him too if my father did that to me, but all my father did was ignore me. I can't imagine going through mistreatments like that. She even told me that she was bullied when she was a kid as well. Not a good mix in my opinion."

"It's no wonder she is so distant from others when she first came here. She's extremely cautious of her surroundings, I wouldn't blame her though."

"Neither would I. Do you, think we as the guild should do something special for her to show our appreciation for joining FairyTail. She makes a great addition to our family with the magic and strength she possess. It took her a bit, but she has the FairyTail way in her because it is clear that Hazel _does not_ back down from a fight rather she has been knocked down numerous times." Lucy said proudly with a large smile.

"I think it would be a good idea to do that, but you know she's not exactly a party-goer. Nonetheless, a party in her honor would make her feel at home with her new nakama. I don't want to be a bad friend and go telling you of what she told me to keep secret, so I think you should go talk to her."

"You know, I think I will. She could probably use a friend right now because she seemed a little haggard earlier." Lucy started as she stood but stopped quickly when she and Gajeel heard the doors to the guild open.

They looked over to see who came in and saw Mira head over to the bar with a big smile on her face. Lucy is glad she is in a good mood which she didn't have a problem welcoming the white-haired satan-take over mage. "Hey Mira, good morning!" Lucy exclaimed from across the room.

"Oh hi Lucy! Good morning, you two are here awfully early." Mira replied happily not even caring that they were sitting together.

"We needed the much needed silence before the whole guild showed up." Lucy replied soon after and started heading to the bar with Gajeel following behind.

When they came to the bar to briefly talk with the bar-maid, Mira immediately saw their strange behavior. "You two are acting strangely. Care to elaborate?"

"Oh, we were just talking about Hazel, that's all." Lucy somewhat lied.

"What about her?" Mira asked in confusion but she is also concerned that something is wrong with the new member of FairyTail. "Did something happen?"

"No, nothing's wrong as far we know. Although, she has been acting kind of abnormally distant for the past couple of days." Lucy replied as she remembered Hazel not wanting to take the mission they had. She noticed Hazel has been acting strange and more distant, which she had to wonder if something is bothering her that she would be that way.

"I've actually noticed that too before she took the job with you, Natsu and Gray. Just the other day, team Shadowgear wanted to see if she wanted take a mission with them but aggressively told them no. I wonder if she is like this for a reason." Mira replied with her concern for the earth-mage showing.

"I didn't know that, something has to be wrong if she is acting like that. Which I have to ask, did we ever welcome her to FairyTail properly, you know a party in her honor?" Lucy asked out of curiosity. She doesn't remember if they did or not and Mira usually has a good memory.

"Come to think of it, I don't think we did. We should throw her an honorary party for her tonight. It should cheer her right up and Erza is returning later today, too." Mira said happily.

"I don't think having Erza here would make it any better because she hasn't warmed up to her yet and who knows how they will interact with other at first." Lucy replied with uncertainty.

"She may not know Erza yet, but that doesn't mean she can't bond with her to get a good feel of Erza's kind nature. Who knows, maybe a party could be a good jumpstart for the two."

"You know, you're right."

"Of course, she's right, Bunny Girl. Is it too early for beer?" Gajeel replied finally after the two girls conversed amongst themselves.

"Not at all, I'll get that right out for you once I open. Everybody will be in shortly. Oh I can't wait for tonight, it's going to be a fun party!" Mira exclaimed proudly as she walked away from the bar with stars beaming in her eyes. She may have been in a good mood but now she is in an even better mood now that she gets to plan a party.

Gajeel and Lucy watched her walk away, kind of nervous of what will happen when Hazel walks through the doors later this evening. They don't know if she will either shut off completely, walk out embarrassed or be happy that they done something like this to her. She's hard to read and throwing a surprise party to welcome her properly to FairyTail might make her reconsider her guild of choice. They would just have to find out later they guessed.

* * *

It was several hours later when the guild hall was filled with FairyTail mages, talking amongst themselves of the upcoming party for their fellow earth-mage Hazel. Most of the guild is excited of what her reaction would be while some are a little weary that she will go ballistic, but they all agreed that she needed a proper welcome and make her feel better. Everybody in the guild felt her hostility and distant attitude lately which they all had to think of why she is in that state. Natsu and Gray had a good idea why but they were just assuming an excuse that she is just bi-polar or something. Although, a lot of people thought they were nuts and were jumping to ridiculous conclusions.

Lucy is one of the few that thought that but she had to wonder where Hazel was so she could talk to her. She wanted to know what Hazel told Gajeel to keep a secret and why she would hide it from everybody including her. She looked around the guild to see if she could spot Jet and ask where her home is since he knows where she lives. She couldn't find him so then turned to search Levy which she had no problem finding her when her best friend's face is buried in a book. She chuckled softly then walked in Levy's direction.

"Levy-chan, hey. How are you?" Lucy asked as she approached the bluenette with a wide smile.

"Oh Lu-chan, hey! I'm fine, you?"

"Good, hey have you seen Jet yet? I wanted to ask him if he could tell me where Hazel lives, I want to ask her something."

"I haven't seen him yet. He's probably on his way here, but I would be more then happy to tell you where she lives." Levy chirped happily.

"Really? You know where she lives?"

"Uh yeah, I kind of followed Jet to find out where he was going one day and found him talking with Hazel outside her home. It's a beautiful place, I must say."

"Um Levy-chan, why were you following Jet to begin with?" Lucy asked out of curiosity.

Levy got a little nervous from Lucy catching on of what she said a second ago because Levy had to ask herself that. "Uh, I don't know. I guess I was curious." Levy lied.

Lucy perched her lips in wonder then sat down with her to get the scoop of her friends actions. "Oh come on, Levy-chan, you had to have a reason for following Jet."

Levy blushed crimson before she glanced around the guild to see if anyone was listening. She then leaned forward with a hand covering the side of her mouth, hushing her voice. "I have a crush on Jet." She said bluntly.

"What!? You have a crush on Jet? No way but, doesn't Jet have a crush on Hazel or something?" Lucy asked as she leaned forwards some more.

"That's what I thought, but he sees her more like a sister. Why do you think they spar the way they do? Jet wouldn't want to fight with a girl he likes. I actually asked him about it a week ago and he told me flat out that there was nothing serious between them. I just hope that Hazel doesn't have anything towards him otherwise she would be crushed. I don't even think I want her to know that I have a crush on him."

"I don't think you have to worry about that, Levy-chan. I remember when she went on our mission and I summoned Loke to assist her in taking down a dark mage, they looked to be enjoying themselves as they fought alongside each other. I think I have an idea of what her zodiac sign is, and I think they will make a perfect pair, even though he is a spirit."

"I don't think it matters if he's a celestial spirit of the twelve zodiac or a human, Lu-chan. If you can see a good connection then there is something between those two. You should invite Loke to the party to celebrate a proper welcome for Hazel."

"I may have to do that, he could probably use a break. I better head out to catch Hazel before she comes back here and finds the place decorated."

"Good idea, when you leave here take a left out and head straight to the outskirts of Magnolia. She's one with nature and loves surrounding herself in bright colored flowers close to a wooded area." Levy replied happily.

"Thanks, girl. I will see you later. Oh by the way, are you and Hazel on better terms?"

"Oh yeah, we have been on better terms after we first met. Now go find Hazel before she sees the decorations!"

"Alright, see you Levy-chan!" Lucy replied shortly then ran out of the guild to locate her.

* * *

It's starting to get late in the day and Lucy hasn't found Hazel yet. She was able to find her home not far from the guild but still on the outskirts of Magnolia and was shocked to see that she lives in a beautiful log house that is shrouded with bright colored flowers ranging from lavender, baby blue, some pink hues and yellowish orange. Hazel has a beautiful rose garden in the back of the home that has a small pond with goi fish and a bird bath that is lightly dusted with rose petals. Its such a lovely place and Lucy wished that Hazel was present so she could compliment her of having such a beautiful home.

A part of Lucy wanted to stick around the front of the house and wait for Hazel, but something told her that Hazel wouldn't appreciate it much. Instead she took one last look at the log home and walked away. Lucy was several feet away from her home when she noticed someone walking her way, but it didn't take her long to realize that it was Hazel. She can see from this good of a distance that Hazel has a downcast expression and lost in her own thoughts. Her rush this morning proved to Lucy that Hazel is not in the right state of mind. Something has to be bothering Hazel if she is not acting her usual self and Lucy wants to be the person to talk with her. When she was feet away, Lucy spoke up that nearly frightened Hazel from being disturbed. She didn't bark back that's for sure and Lucy is glad about that.

"Lucy, hey, um what are you doing here?" Hazel asked with such a depressed tone.

"I wanted to check to see if you were okay. I hope you don't mind if I had asked Jet to find out where you lived."

"I guess it's alright. You must show a lot of concern for me if you wanted to check to see if I was in a good condition or not after this morning."

"I have to be, I am your friend, Hazel. Are you okay?"

Hazel didn't answer right away, she just looked down at her mother's chest with sadness. Having the chest in her hands brought back the horrid memory of her mother dying and the thought made her remember that it is going to be thirteen years very soon. She sighed softly then looked back up at Lucy to see her concern.

"Not exactly, please come inside. You look like you need something to drink." Hazel replied then moved forwards to the steps but briefly stopped in front of Lucy.

"It's very kind of you to come check on me, although I am a little disappointed that Jet told you where I lived, but I guess its for the best. Now please, come inside and make yourself comfortable. I'll prepare some refreshments for us." Hazel replied in a little more lively voice then invited Lucy through the door.

Lucy is a little shocked that Hazel is being so, unlike herself and it worried her. The tone was forced because Lucy could tell that Hazel was thinking about her mother which made her wonder what happened to her mother that she is so torn. She stood outside the house for a second until Hazel gave her a questionable glare then walked through her threshold with upmost confidence in cheering Hazel up. Although her thoughts left her when she walked into the living room. Her mouth gapped open at how open and inviting the home is. A lot of natural light poured from a gorgeous sliding door that led to the back, a humble but bright kitchen sat just to the left. The cabinets are a beautiful natural maple with brass tree knob like handles and creamy almond countertops that are made up of marble. Across from the decently sized kitchen is a charming dining room that consisted of a tree trunk as a base for a table and a glass top to look down at the tree rings, the chairs of course are made of wood with green cushions. Beside Lucy is a medium sized living and entertainment area that looked like it came out of a magazine. The placement flowed so nicely with the kitchen and the dining room where there was no sign of a lacrima television or any other form of technology. All you can hear is the sound of birds and the wind rustling outside. It is so peaceful indoors and had to wonder what it sounded like during the night.

"Wow Hazel, you have a gorgeous home!" Lucy exclaimed after a minute of taking in the cozy, laid-back home.

"Oh um, thank you." Hazel replied in an embarrassed manner.

"How did you come to get such a beautiful place? It had to be an expensive find."

"Oh, I didn't. I built this house from the ground up myself."

"You built it? Wow, it must have taken you a long time to build it, Hazel. You did such a wonderful job."

"Thanks, Lucy. It actually didn't take me very long, more like a week and a half using just my magic and the help from some locals. I did all the decorating and feung shui after I finished building it. I even did the gardening and curb appeal."

"Jeez, Hazel, I'm thoroughly impressed. You did such lovely job designing your home."

"Again thank you, why don't you go ahead and make yourself comfortable while I go put this in a safe place. Feel free to take a look around if you like." Hazel replied with her usual tone then disappeared down a hall that was to her right. Lucy watched her for a moment then sat down on a comfy sage green couch. The fabric is really soft and plush but it had its firmness so she didn't sink into the couch. When Lucy got comfortable, Hazel returned and made her way to the kitchen to bring some fresh iced tea, a couple of cups and some tasty snacks for them. Lucy sat up more from the couch to look down at the treats before her with interest.

"Wow, your quiet the host, Hazel. You didn't have to bring something out for us."

"Then what kind of friend would I be if I didn't offer you some refreshments and homemade treats." Hazel smiled softly as she set the tray and tea down.

"Homemade? You bake?"

"Bake and cook, something that I like to do as well."

"You never seize to amaze me, Hazel. You cook, bake, play the flute, what else do you like to do that I don't know about?" Lucy asked beamingly as she took a tasty cookie.

"I do like to garden and fish on some occasions. When I get the time I like to go horseback riding or seek out some masculine activities."

"And you are not in the least bit, girly. You are defiantly a Taurus."

"I guess you figured out what my zodiac sign is. Congratulations, but do you know what other zodiac quality I have?"

"I think you have qualities from each of the earth zodiac signs, Hazel. You're serious just like Capricorn, have the temper of a bull when someone pushes you to the limits which is a strong Taurus quality, and you can be practical and anti-social just like Virgo. You have all their qualities, but I don't see you as a pervert like my Taurus though."

Hazel chuckled. "You got that right. Yeah I'm Taurus strong with Capricorn and a few Virgo qualities. You are a smart one, Luce."

"Thank you, Hazel. I'm glad that you accepted me as a friend of yours because we are kind of a like in a way but that's not what I came here for. I noticed you haven't been yourself lately, would you like to talk about it?" Lucy asked politely.

"I prefer not to, but I will be fine in no time. Though, since you have demonstrated concern for me all go ahead and say that it's just a rough time for me right now. My mother's death anniversary is coming rather quickly and it always puts me in an awful mood."

"That's right, you told me that your mother died. If you don't mind, but what exactly happened to her, Hazel?"

Hazel clammed up after Lucy asked about her mother. She doesn't like thinking about it nor does she like to recall the events that led to her mother's demise. It was an awful experience to say the least and Hazel felt that Lucy doesn't need to know how her mother died exactly. Hazel gulped slightly but answered that way Lucy would understand.

"I really don't want to discuss the details, but I will tell you that she died under horrible circumstances. Please understand that my mother's death was not caused by natural means." Hazel replied as she looked down at the cookies that she provided for them.

Lucy looked at Hazel with shock because she finally understood what that meant. If it was not by natural means then it is by on purpose grounds. She felt a flutter of anger after she realized this and decided not to discuss her mother's death any further. Instead she took the liberty to take this silence as an opportunity to discuss other matters.

"I'm sorry to hear that. If you don't want me to know what happened to your mother, Hazel, then I will respect your wishes and not bring it up again unless you are ready to talk about it. I would however, like to discuss with you about Gajeel." Lucy replied kind of bluntly.

"Oh? What do you want to know?"

"Well, how should I put this," Lucy started then searched her mind. "Um, I know you two went to go talk to catch up with each other, but Gajeel mentioned something this morning that made me curious of what you two talked about last night. He mentioned something about him keeping a secret and that he didn't want me to be left out of the loop, in summary basically."

Hazel dead-panned at the words that Lucy spoke, because she knew that Gajeel would say something to the effect of their discussion last night but at least he didn't go into complete details about them. She's proud at Gajeel for at least telling Lucy that he is hiding something from his girl and wanted Lucy to talk to her about what that was. Hazel really did have some concerned friends if they were willing to take the time to learn about her past and her personality.

"I'm a little surprised that he would even open his mouth about what we discussed last night. At least he didn't go blabbing about what exactly it was. I don't want to tell you word for word what I said to him, but that secret he is keeping to himself is what my true magic is."

"Your, true magic? What does that mean?"

"It means I don't just have earth magic, Lucy. He discovered it on his own and intends to keep that secret safe for me so it doesn't get leaked to neighboring towns and cities."

"You mean, you have a certain magic that will cause an uproar?"

"Well, more like dark mages finding my location. You see, Lucy, from what I understand of that rumor I was told about during our mission that there are dark mages after me and I have a feeling that someone is closing in on me. Just last night when we were talking with Cana, I felt a wavelength that was far away from me. Usually I can sense them from a mile away but when I felt it just a hundred miles out from Magnolia that means my real magic is starting to resurface. I've been trying to hide this magic because it is very rare and people have been on the hunt to get a hold of it. Telling him and now you, I trust that neither of you would go spreading the word because you and Gajeel are the two people in the entire guild I have full trust in."

"Hazel?"

"If someone finds out that I'm residing here in Magnolia, there will be nothing but great danger for all of FairyTail and the town. It is best that only you two know what that is and keep it a secret. If it comes down to it, if it is in a very dire situation, I will reveal my real magic and it will be a domino effect from there. So can you please promise me that only you and Gajeel keep this magic of mine a secret for as long as you live?"

This shocked Lucy to no end. She had a funny feeling that her magic is something other then her earth-magic and she finally got confirmation. It is no mystery to her now that the odd feeling she sensed from her from day one is the magnetic of her true magic. That magic brought her and Gajeel to Hazel, making them her most trusted and loyal friends. They were drawn to Hazel for that reason and Lucy cherishes her close bond with her. She loves being the one girl to trust. Lucy smiles triumphantly with a brilliance that warmed Hazel's heart.

"You can count on me to keep your secret, Hazel. Your secret is safe with me and Gajeel, you can trust us wholeheartedly."

Hazel couldn't help but smile proudly at the blonde in front of her. She never really had any close friends when she was younger and having Lucy along with Gajeel made her feel extremely happy to have them. She picked the right people to let herself to get close to and plans on keeping them close and safe for a long time.

"Thank you so, so much, Lucy-chan. I can't tell you how grateful I am of you and Gajeel coming into my life like you did. I'm especially grateful that FairyTail excepted me into their guild even though they thought of me as a heartless and indifferent bitch at first."

"You were nothing like that, Hazel. You were just trying to adjust and I wouldn't pass judgement on you like that. I'm very glad that you joined FairyTail because you are a valuable member." Lucy chimed brightly. "Hey, how about we have ourselves a girls day out before we head to the guild later this evening. There are a few shops I want to show you that I don't think you've been to yet." Lucy soon chirped, remembering that the guild is decorating for a surprise party.

"Sounds good to me. Thanks, Lucy, for cheering me up. I really needed that bright smile of yours." Hazel replies again happily then stood with Lucy to leave the comfort of her home.

"Your welcome, Hazel, that's what friends for, right?" Lucy smiled then she and Hazel walked out of the beautiful log house into the warm afternoon sun.

* * *

Evening had come rather quickly for Hazel as the afternoon vanished with her being in Lucy's company the entire time. Of course she could not complain when she thoroughly enjoyed their quality girl time together shopping, having lunch together and got their nails done. A large smile is on Hazel's face as she guided herself along the empty streets of Magnolia to head to the guild hall. After such a fun filled afternoon with Lucy, Lucy decided to have Hazel join her at the guild later for dinner with Team Natsu since Erza arrived back from her mission earlier in the day. Hazel wasn't very keen on the idea but was going to go nonetheless. She needed to spend some time around Erza to get a good feel of her and understand her uneasiness towards the re-quip mage. Of course, a part of Hazel understood where she was coming from with the uneasiness towards her because she had dealt with a girl like her before and betrayed her trust. Hazel may not have had a lot of friends, well hardly any friends when she was a child but there was always at least one that gave her some support when she needed it. She can't remember the girl's name since it has been so long since she last seen her. Hazel actually can't remember why the girl didn't treat her like the other kids.

It confuses her still but Hazel shoved all of those thoughts and her past to the side to enjoy the night. Although, she doesn't know why this is, but Hazel has a feeling that something is going on behind her back that she is unaware of. She could feel it when she was hanging out with Lucy earlier and is a little nervous of what is awaiting her. Hazel shivered slightly from a thought crossing her mind and wanted to stop herself from going any further to the guild. Why is she having this odd feeling all the sudden? Something is bothering her but its not what is waiting for her at the guild. Something else is bothering her and she can't exactly place what this feeling is when her mind is overwhelmed with other things.

She stopped in her tracks when her eyes laid on the guild hall, wondering if she should just head back home and forget about hanging out with Team Natsu. Hazel could tell that there is something going on inside because there are some loud noises, but they are not the usual loud noises. She furrowed her brows in confusion as she eyed the guild doors with apprehension, hoping that staring at the wood doors would confirm her suspicions. Of course it didn't help but her thoughts left her when she saw the doors open slightly and saw Lucy's head poking out then called for her.

"Hazel, hey! Glad you made it!" Lucy replies happily with a hand waving at her.

She can see a large, beaming smile on Lucy's face and there was something else present in her eyes that Hazel could not place. She couldn't decipher what it is that Lucy is hiding in those brown orbs of hers, and Hazel can't comprehend this overwhelming feeling that is clouding her senses. She stared for only a minute when she noticed the noises inside the hall were slowly dying out, as if they are waiting for Hazel to say something back.

It took a Hazel a moment to gather her nerves before she slowly approached the beaming blonde with confusion apparent on her face. Lucy could tell that she is on edge but decided to not give her reassurance when something else will calm her down. Before Lucy could allow Hazel to say anything, she gently took Hazel's hand and ushered her forwards.

"It's fine, Hazel, it's just us in here and nobody else, so relax." Lucy chirped then guided Hazel to the open door and pulled her inside.

Once Hazel was in view to the entire guild, they all erupted in cheers and hollers with mugs raised and throwing confetti in the air. Just the sight of the guild hall full of her fellow mages threw her off guard but she is stomped for words to express what is before her. She looked amongst the mages with wide, confused eyes seeing pure joy and abundant warmth radiating from their large smiles. She felt a very foreign emotion overwhelm her as she continued to stare at guild, greatly confused and awestruck of what is going on right now.

"W-what is this?" Hazel managed to say as her eyes scanned the room still. She saw Gajeel way in the back with a mug raised and his signature grin apparent then saw Jet beaming at her brightly with a mug as well. Not long after she spoke, Mira approached Hazel with a smile of her own and beamed at her happily.

"This is your welcome to FairyTail party, Hazel." Mira replied happily.

Hazel couldn't help but stare in shock at the bar-maid then back at the guild whose eyes never left her. "This, this is for me?"

"Yep, we didn't welcome you properly and wanted to throw you a party in your honor. Hope you don't mind? We figured it would cheer you up also. You haven't really been yourself lately and wanted to do something special to take your mind off of things. You like?" Mira asked as she eyed the stunned Hazel with her beaming smile.

Hazel then couldn't say anything. She never tore her eyes away from the cheerful bunch and the welcoming, warm smiles they gave her. Her mouth gapped open slightly, but her bottom lip trembled. Her eyes are wide, really unable to blink but they are beginning to sting. She could feel wetness forming on her eyelashes and her throat clamped tight. She's about to cry and standing there before her guild is going to show her vulnerable self. Without thinking, Hazel turned on her heels and escaped the many eyes to step out into the evening air.

Lucy who stood next to her felt confused but there is a tinge of disappointment that Hazel just left like that. She felt a little hurt, too. She could tell that everyone in the guild eyed the spot Hazel stood with confusion apparent and felt the same way as her. They weren't sure what to make of Hazel's actions but someone, Bixlow to be exact, had no problem in announcing his thoughts of the matter.

"See, I told you she would leave!" Bixlow roared unhappily then downed his beer.

"She was caught off guard! How else was she going to react to a surprise party? She needs to take it like a man!" Elfman shouted and a little too close to Evergreen's ear.

"Quit your shouting, you overgrown ape! I had the exact same feeling as Bixlow. She's an unappreciative bitch." She replied rather nastily which only caused a verbal argument between her and Natsu.

"She's not an unappreciative bitch, Evergreen! So what do you know?" He snapped.

"Enough to know that she is rude, little boy. Seriously, who does she think she is to disregard our hard work in putting all of this together for her?"

"She probably hasn't had anyone to do something like this for her from what I could tell. It looked like she was about to cry! So you shouldn't be jumping to conclusion like that!"

"I don't think that girl is capable of crying. Just accept the fact that she doesn't appreciate us." Evergreen replied then started drinking again.

"Hey! You don't know her like I do! She is capable of feelings and for your information, lady, Hazel had a horrible childhood. So shut up when you don't know a thing about her!" Lucy suddenly snapped after Evergreen's heartless comment.

"I see she only chooses who she wants as close friends when you are sticking up for her, sweetie. Honestly, who else thinks like you and that fire-dragon slayer?"

"I do and you really shouldn't be passing judgement on her when you hardly know a thing about her, Evergreen. She is very different once you get to know her a little, and I can vouch for that. She's not easy to understand but she is a lot like us." Gray finally chimed with his dark eyes glaring daggers at the green-haired beauty.

"Fine, three people out of a whole guild are friends of hers. So what?"

"Hey, make that four friends!" Jet suddenly screamed with a fist in front of his face.

"No, five." a voice rumbled darkly.

No one didn't know where the voice came from for a moment until they emerged from the shadows. Most of the guild sat in shock as they turned their eyes on a livid Gajeel whose eyes are beginning to glow red with anger.

"I'm not going to sit back any longer and let you talk down to her like that as if she is not a human being. I had an opportunity to get to know Hazel and she is nowhere close of an unappreciative bitch as you call her. Talk nastily about Hazel behind her back again, Evergreen, I won't think twice in slamming your head into the wall with my iron fist." Gajeel threatened as he eyed the now terrified woman.

No one has ever heard him speak like that about anyone and they realized that he is very protective of Hazel. It certainly wasn't hard for Lucy to see this because they are the only two who are the closest to her. She smiled proudly at him for standing up for Hazel like that, which prompted her to look over her shoulder to the doors. She had to wonder if Hazel left the guild to go back home and forget what they done for her. Lucy wanted to find out for herself but she figured that she give Hazel some space.

* * *

Outside the guild, Hazel sat just outside the doors with her mind whirling in confusion, but she felt something else. She felt proud, even happy. She smiled weakly from hearing everything that was said, letting these thick tears roll from the corners of her eyes. Hazel can't remember the last time she cried like this. She has cried before, but it was usually out of anger or terror whenever she thought of her past. She couldn't comprehend why they did that for her, but Hazel felt overjoyed from them expressing their gratitude and appreciation for her. She never had anyone do that for her, _ever_. It is a new feeling that she doesn't know how to control except let it roll out of her eyes like a river.

Hazel never thought that Natsu would speak up for her even Gray. She had to think to herself how she let them waltz into her heart and make such an impression without revealing a lot of who she was in the past. How did they come to accept her so easily even though she came off as rude to them most of the time? How could Jet openly confess that he is a friend of hers when she barely let him in as well? She spared with him most of the time and would talk occasionally as they practiced hands on combat, but how could he accept her as a friend? She doesn't understand how anyone could accept her as a friend, yet alone Lucy and Gajeel. Hazel is not even sure how she allowed them to become so close to her.

Her heart felt heavy, as if a hundred ton brick laid on her but it was at that moment that she realized what that meant to her. Those five devoted individuals are the ones that made her feel like she belonged here. She could hear some of the other guild members speaking highly of her despite not getting the chance to know her like the others. She choked on a sob when she felt her heart grow light with realization. FairyTail is her home, her true family. Hazel has never felt this accepted anywhere and these people are the only ones that cared for her. Rather they know of her past or not, they care for her and would stand by her side until she drew her last breath on the battle field. It is a brand new feeling and Hazel welcomed it with open arms.

Hazel smiled as she removed her glasses from her nose and tucked them away in her pants pocket. She didn't wipe away the tears that continued to stream down her eyes, she let them flow. She wants to show Evergreen that she does cry. She wants to show everyone that she is emotionally vulnerable and doesn't want to hide it any longer. For the longest time, Hazel hid her eyes with her bangs but now that she accepted to reveal her true self, it was time brush her mask aside. She drew her right hand to her face and fixed the huge chunk of hair to rest alongside either side of her face then separated thin to medium strands to open her eyes to the world. Hazel slowly stood from the ground of which she sat then stood tall and proud to accept such a wonderful guild. She smiled wearily because this is new to her but Hazel is ready to face new challenges and accept anything that comes her way.

She breathed in heavily then turned her attention to the door and swiftly walked in. Of course the guild went quiet again when she reappeared but they were mostly shocked to see her with tears still apparent on her face. They weren't exactly sure what to think of it but they also couldn't help but notice that she adjusted her bangs. They are all flabbergasted to see her eyes finally, exposing the uncertainty she has behind her teary eyes. Yeah, she is unsure of herself right now but Hazel doesn't care anymore. She wants them to see her as a capable and appreciative member of FairyTail despite some of her flaws.

She looked out at the full guild hall for a moment, laying her eyes on a stunned Gajeel and gave him a appreciative smile. She also saw Natsu and Gray which she gave them a smile as well and one towards Jet who couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at her appearance. Hazel saw a tinge of pink on his cheeks but turned away to bow deep. She couldn't help but let her tears continue to fall as she bowed, feeling embarrassed from her actions earlier. It took her a minute but she finally managed to speak after a long pause.

"I am so terribly sorry for my actions earlier. I didn't mean to mislead you in thinking that I didn't appreciate what you have done for me. I was overwhelmed and had a hard time processing what was happing before me. I very much appreciate the thought and that is far fetch then what I really feel. I've had a hard life before FairyTail and this is a first where I felt I actually belonged somewhere. I am more then honored to accept FairyTail as my new home, my true family. It is an absolute privilege to be a part of FairyTail. Thank you so very much for accepting me and preparing such a wonderful and priceless gift you could have every given me in all my years."

Everyone in the guild felt her heartfelt apology and couldn't help but feel pleased and a little sad that she went into such a long speech of how much she appreciated their small gesture. They never knew that she could be this vulnerable but it is a trait that warmed any coldness towards her. They all smiled brightly even Evergreen who got to see who she really is. She was wrong to think that Hazel wasn't capable of crying and there she was, bowed at the waist asking for forgiveness for such a rude exit.

Mira who stood not too far from Hazel sniffled from her speech then quickly ran up to her to wrap her arms around Hazel's chest. It caught Hazel off guard of course, but she allowed the she-devil to embrace her like she is. "You. Are. So. Very. Welcomed Hazel!" Mira wailed as she continued to hold Hazel but soon dropped her to her feet.

"We are so glad that you chose FairyTail to be your home, Hazel. You are such a wonderful person and we want to welcome you properly. So," Mira started and was about to say more when Erza approached Hazel with a large, proud grin.

"Welcome to FairyTail, Hazel Witchbane. We are proud to accept you as a new member to our family. The name's Erza Scarlet, it is such a pleasure to meet you properly." Erza smiled as she held a hand out to Hazel.

Hazel quickly took Erza's hand, her uneasiness towards her set aside. She smiled brightly at her then shook her hand first before Erza could. "The pleasure is all mine, Erza. And I apologize for the cheesecake incident, I guess I should have known better."

"Oh no worries, girly. So, what do you say? Should we get this party underway?"

"Hell yes! Let's party!" Hazel beamed then followed Erza and Lucy to their table.

The party went on without a hitch and was just as rowdy then ever. Everyone enjoyed the company of others, drank happily where they actually got to see a rarity from Hazel who got blasted off her rocker within half an hour. She got drunk with Cana and a few others, and one of those few was Laxus who instantly took a liking to the earth-mage. They all enjoyed a random fight between Natsu and Gray where Gajeel happily joined in to land a few punches himself before he joined Hazel's side. It was defiantly a party and the master was present to enjoy it himself. They were a happy bunch but they are all clueless of what tomorrow would bring. Someone is approaching Magnolia as they partied and its someone that no one would know, except for the drunken Hazel who is completely oblivious to the wavelength that is coursing through her veins, warning her that someone is in fact closing in on her.

* * *

A/N: Well, what do you all think? I actually had a hard time writing the last bit after the scene with Lucy and Hazel, but after listening to some Bleach OST I got some inspiration. I know, it sounds weird but whatever. Hope you all enjoyed it though. I will post the last chapter sometime next week. Have a wonderful week, chow! :)


	10. Announcement

***** ANNOUNCEMENT *****  
Sorry, not a chapter :(

Hey guys,

I apologize that I haven't been able to update in a couple of weeks. I've been searching for some work and gain some freelance design work as well. But more so that I have been lacking in the inspiration department to move forward with the last section of my story so chapter 9 is officially the last chapter for "New to Fairy Tail." Mainly because I'm not sure where to pick up after that. I had a few ideas but I'm saving them for the sequel that I'm now going to start working on at night and the first several hours of my mornings, so updates will be coming slow.

I will try to post the first chapter sometime next week, if not then the beginning of July. I will be heading down to Florida with my mother for a family reunion next Friday and will be gone for about a week.

I wil keep you updated through here when I have the first chapter posted and will inform you of what the title for the story is because as of now, I don't know what I'm going to call it.

Thanks for understanding and the continuous support. Chow for now my peeps! :)


End file.
